The first major AR based game to hit the smartphones was Pokémon GO by Niantic Labs. Now, the company has launched another AR based game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. It was open for pre-registration on the Google Play Store. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite went live in the US earlier this week ahead of its launch date according to reports. And now the game has gone live in India and other parts of the world.
The launch date of the game was confirmed as June 21 in a tweet from the official Twitter handle. The text of the tweet reads, “The worldwide launch of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite begins this Friday, June 21! Keep your eyes peeled and wand ready for more information as the game goes live in your region soon. #WizardsUnite”
The game can now be downloaded from the app stores. Those that pre-registered for the game were greeted by a notification saying, “You pre-registered for this app. Tap to install!” The game is 61MB in size and already has over a million downloads.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite features
The highlight of the game is the integration of augmented reality elements in the gameplay. According to a report by 9to5Google, Niantic Labs has teamed up with WB Games San Francisco to make the game along with characters and content from the seven-part book and eight-part movie franchise. The report also notes that elements from the current Fantastic Beasts would be in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. According to the description of the game on the pre-registration page, it is part of the Portkey Games, a label responsible for developing games based on the Harry Potter world.
The description reveals that the players will take on the role of a new recruit for the Statue of Secrecy Task Force. The primary goal of the player will be to solve the mystery related to the Calamity along with real-world exploration for mysterious artifacts, casting spells and even encountering fantastic beasts. Talking about the mysteries, the company stated that it has worked on “deep multi-year” story arch which will ask players to solve a number of mysteries.
Niantic also added that it has worked on “richly detailed 3D” scenarios in “360-degree advanced AR+” environments for players. Players can also take part in a number of wizarding challenges in fortresses on the map for an RPG-like experience. It will also feature “shared arenas” where the effects in the arena are group-wide. Players will also be able to specialize in a number of professions including Professor, Auror, or Magizoologist.
The game will also include portkeys which will provide “immersive VR-like experience”. And players will be able to teleport them to “iconic Wizarding World locations”. Last but not least, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will also allow players to craft different potions that can be used to improve the overall gameplay.