Harry Potter AR Comes to Life as Niantic's Followup to Pokémon Go

The creators of Pokémon Go just confirmed that a Harry Potter AR game will release in 2018.

Nothing excites the Potterheads more than Niantic Labs, the game studio behind the highly successful Pokémon Go, building a Harry Potter AR game.

Pokémon Go brought AR into the mainstream by bringing together AR tech and the already wildly popular Pokémon franchise. Nobody has quite captured the same craze since, and now there’s very little chance anyone other than Niantic will.

It’s genius, really. What two entertainment franchises are more popular than Harry Potter and Pokémon?

That’s right, they don’t exist. Now Niantic will bring both into our mixed reality.

In an announcement released by Niantic yesterday, the company confirmed their next venture into the AR mobile entertainment. According to Niantic, the new game, which they called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, would enable players to see and experience the Wizarding World of the famous ‘boy who lived’ in real life via augmented reality.

“With Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, players that have been dreaming of becoming real-life Wizards will finally get the chance to experience J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Players will learn spells, explore their real-world neighborhoods and cities to discover & fight legendary beasts and team up with others to take down powerful enemies.”

Experience Magic via Harry Potter AR Game

The upcoming Harry Potter AR game is said to based on Niantic’s original classic game Ingress which allows people to defend locations, fight with other players, collect boosts, and explore their environment.

So, it’s safe to assume that AR gamers and Harry Potter fans will soon be shouting “EXPELLIARMUS” at Lord Voldemort and his fleet of Death Eaters roaming down Wall Street. And, instead of factions, each player will be a part of one of the four great houses of Hogwarts. 

That’s right. Soon you’ll be sitting under the sorting hat once again. Will you get into the house you really want?

The only question is how Niantic will handle the Muggle World in the new game. Perhaps anytime you’re not playing the game you’re just a Muggle.

Niantic’s Harry Potter AR game is set to be launched in 2018. It is co-developed by Warner Bros. Interactive and its new sub-brand Portkey Games. The company did not disclose further details about the game.

Right now, the augmented reality game studio’s Pokémon Go remains to be an AR favorite with over 65 million monthly users. This is despite numerous setbacks and the company’s strained relationship with its own players. Let’s hope they stay more communicative this time.

Are you excited about the upcoming Harry Potter AR game?