When "Pokémon Go" was released in July of 2016, it was an instant and massive success. For those first couple of weeks, you could walk around just about anywhere in the world and see people, young and old, glued to their phones trying to catch virtual Pokémon.
Mostly boosted by the sense of nostalgia that a franchise like Pokémon brings, Pokemon Go hit 550 million downloads and approximately $470 million of revenue within a mere 80 days of its launch. However, as the powerful effect of childhood nostalgia began to wear off, the games' player base and overall success of the game began to fall.
Now, a year and a half since its release, Pokemon Go, although still popular with avid fans of the franchise, is definitely nowhere near the level of impact it had in the summer of 2016. As a result, Niantic, a San Francisco based software development company and developer of Pokemon Go has partially shifted focus to a new project.
The studio will be teaming up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to develop an AR (Augmented Reality) mobile game based on the Harry Potter universe. Following in the steps of Pokemon Go, "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" is a game that encourages players to step outside and explore your local surroundings. The game will allow players to take part in a series of adventures, such as searching for magical creatures and bumping into iconic wizarding world characters along the way. Players will also be able to cast spells and in turn, build up their very own wizarding career.
"With this game, we are allowing passionate, worldwide fan base to explore J.K. Rawling's deeply powerful and imaginative universe in a new, truly immersive way." David Haddad, President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment said.
With news of the new game only breaking onto the scene last month, not much else is currently known about the game but with the backing of Niantic, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite looks like it might be poised to be the next AR mobile game to make an impact in the gaming world.
The commercial success of the idea is obvious, Harry Potter is an immensely popular franchise and although the main series movies ended in 2011 with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2", many fans of the franchise are always looking for more ways to immerse themselves in J.K. Rowling's fantasy universe.
The game is currently without a release date but more details are expected to be revealed in 2018. Those interested in keeping tabs can follow the official Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Facebook and Twitter page or visit harrypotterwizardsunite.com to sign up for updates on the games' progress and release/
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