Pokémon GO creator Niantic and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) have joined forces to launch Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a brand-new augmented reality mobile game. The upcoming app is co-developed by Niantic and Warner Bros. under Portkey Games, WBIE’s new label that will create video games and mobile experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.
The app is designed to bring J.K. Rowling’s characters to real-world neighborhoods and cities. Players will go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters. Additional details will be revealed in 2018, but in the meantime, eager users can sign up online to receive more information.
Niantic kicked the AR trend into high gear with the 2016 launch of Pokémon GO. The free mobile game uses the clock and GPS of a user’s phone to detect location and show Pokémon creatures that users can catch and collect. Since the game’s launch, other companies like Disney, Toys “R” Us and Mattel have looked to capitalize on the trend, given than the AR market is expected to reach US$162 billion by 2020.