Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is an upcoming mobile game for iOS and Android from Niantic, the developers of Pokémon Go. When it was announced back in November 2017, Niantic made it clear that Wizards Unite would be another AR game similar in vein to the company’s biggest hit mobile game that swept the world last year.
With the vision of Pokémon Go realized, Niantic plans to go even further with Wizards Unite (also being called Harry Potter Go by the masses) to create a true wizarding world experience for all players, and while we don’t have an official Wizards Unite release date just yet, we are expecting a beta soon.
According to the original Wizards Unite reveal, the game will have players learning spells, exploring the real world to find items and battle magical creatures. Players will even be able to “team up with others to take down powerful enemies,” though there is no mention if this is like the Raids in Pokémon Go or something unique to Wizards Unite.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is certainly a game many fans have been waiting for. Though there is little information out there at the moment, we have got it all right here on Heavy, check out your very own Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Release Date, News, and More:
Note: It’s important to note that this isn’t the Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery mobile game, as that’s actually a different game entirely, made by a different studio.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Release Date
In an interview with Financial Times, CEO of Niantic John Hanke revealed that Harry Potter: Wizards Unite would be coming in the “second half of 2018.” No exact date was stated, but as we approach the summer of 2018, we’re sure to hear more in the coming months. For all we know, Niantic could be coming to get a piece of the E3 pie and introduce major mobile games to the event for the first time.
There’s also no word just yet on whether or not to expect a beta, however, if history is anything to go by when talking about a major mobile game like this, a beta period is to be expected.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Trailer
As of April 6, 2018, there is no official Harry Potter: Wizards Unite trailer available. There are a lot of seemingly official ones out there that look like footage of gameplay, but we assure you, there is no official trailer out yet. When it does come out, we will update this section for your viewing pleasure.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Registration
If you would like a notification for any further Harry Potter: Wizards Unite news from Niantic and when the game will be available to play, sign-up with your email right here. When you do register, be sure to only check the second box, or you will receive ad mail from Warner Bros.
If you say no to spam, keep in mind that it will likely be a long time before you hear anything Niantic. As with all games, it is important to be patient. The more time a game has in development, the better the game will be.
In addition, there is no available link to Google Play or the App Store. When it does arrive, we will update this section and the Download section below.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite News
Niantic Acquires Escher Reality Technology
In February 2018, Niantic announced their acquisition of Escher Reality, a company dedicated to AR and “computer vision.” Though Niantic did not mention Harry Potter: Wizards Unite directly, we can be sure that Niantic is using Escher’s technology and developing teams to work on the project.
The technology from Escher is described as “exploring the intersection of digital and physical worlds” and “persistent, cross-platform, multi-user experiences.” If Escher is working on Wizards Unite, then this means we might see the game on more than just our phones, and that it will be a multiplayer experience much like Pokémon Go.
The acquisition of Escher has apparently accelerated Niantic’s work on “persistent, shared AR as part of the Niantic real-world application platform.” They plan on enhancing the player’s interactions with the physical world and “grow our platform to support planet-scale AR.” We can only imagine that this is something like what Google created with Google Maps, an AR version of the globe made specifically for a game.
As their technology grows with Escher’s help, Niantic plans to make the AR technology more widely available to any developers who want it later in 2018.
From this news, we can gather that Wizards Unite is going to be the accumulation of everything Niantic has been working on since the creation of their first game, Ingress. The best of the best, thus far.
Niantic Plans A Smooth Launch For Wizards Unite
In the same Financial Times interview where CEO of Niantic John Hanke announced the release window of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Hanke also mentioned some of the lessons learned from Pokémon Go. He refers especially to those that occurred during Pokémon Go‘s launch, saying that Niantic is “so much better positioned” now than it was before. So hopefully that means a lot less server and crash problems.
In addition, Hanke states that the company is much more aware of “public locations, government policy, [and] regulations” this time around. They have “built up [their] expertise” in dealing with such situations and plan to make it so that “in-game hotspots that cause real-world problems can be removed or changed.”
All of which is very good to hear, as Pokémon Go ran into quite a few problems the company clearly hadn’t anticipated. According to Hanke, we expect a smooth launch of Wizards Unite, not just with the added technology from Escher, but also learning from the mistakes Pokémon Go made.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Gameplay
The only gameplay hints we have thus far are from the original announcement of the game, wherein Niantic states that “players will learn spells, explore their real-world neighborhoods and cities to discover and fight legendary beasts, and team up with others to take down powerful enemies.”
It certainly sounds like a lot of fun, but there is no confirmation if any of the original characters in the Harry Potter world will appear or have any part in Wizards Unite. Nor is it confirmed what kind of story there will be if one at all.
When we have more information, we will update this section.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Download
Once they are made available, Google Play and the App Store links to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be right here. For those who might need it, we will include APK links to the game as well.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Guide
Once Harry Potter: Wizards Unite launches, the guide to playing the game will be right here at Heavy.com. For any spells that you might have missed learning or certain magical creatures you can’t seem to find, our guide to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is here to help. The guide will include any events and updates that the app will have after launch as well, so be sure to come back for any information you mibght need.
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