Defunct location-based augmented reality mobile game
2019 video game
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
was an
augmented reality
(AR)
mobile game
developed by
Niantic
and
WB Games San Francisco
, and published by Niantic, under license from
Portkey Games
. The game is based on the
Harry Potter series
and part of the
Wizarding World
media franchise, created by
J. K. Rowling
.
Wizards Unite
begins as the player creates their avatar and starts their journey at the player's real world location. The player character engages with the world by casting spells, discovering artefacts and facing known characters and beasts of the Wizarding World universe.
Development of
Wizards Unite
commenced in 2017. A
beta version
was released in New Zealand in April 2019, and in Australia in May 2019. It was launched for
Android
and
iOS
mobile devices on June 20, 2019. The game received mixed reviews from critics and won the Peoples' Voice Award for "Technical Achievements" at the
2020 Webby Awards
. It was shut down in January 2022, after Portkey Games previously announced to end the service in November 2021.
Gameplay
[
edit
]
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
gameplay has been described as similar to that of
Pokemon Go
, with players able to view the gameplay world through a smartphone.
[1]
Players are able to visit real-world locations while casting spells, discovering mysterious artefacts, and encountering iconic characters and legendary beasts from the
Harry Potter
universe.
[2]
The game allows players to fight against mythical beasts from the
Harry Potter
and
Fantastic Beasts
franchise.
[3]
Players may choose their wizarding house, their wand, and their
profession
: either Professor, Auror or Magizoologist.
[4]
After creating a game account, the player makes an
avatar
, whose location depends on the device's geographical location. The player then travels around the real world to find "confounded"
items
and creatures, and "unconfound" them. The player can also stop at inns (to replenish spell energy), greenhouses (to gain potion ingredients and grow new ingredients), and fortresses (to fight dark wizards and beasts). As the player moves within their real-world surroundings, their avatar moves within the game's map.
In April 2020,
Wizards Unite
introduced the Knight Bus which allows players to participate in magical challenges in virtual fortresses regardless of their physical location, an answer to the worldwide
lockdowns
during the
COVID-19 pandemic
.
[5]
Development
[
edit
]
Development of
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
commenced in 2017.
[6]
The game was officially announced on November 8, 2017, as an augmented reality mobile game developed by
Niantic
and
WB Games San Francisco
, with the former also acting as the publisher.
[7]
The game was ultimately published under the
Portkey Games
license.
[2]
With Niantic's purchase of Escher Reality, the game was expected to implement new technology to allow for
persistent worlds
within AR.
[8]
On November 14, 2018, it was confirmed that the game would be released in 2019.
[9]
On November 2, 2021, Portkey Games announced game would be shutting down, which happened at 12:01 a.m. EST on January 31, 2022.
[10]
[11]
Release
[
edit
]
A first gameplay video for the game was released in March 2019, showing footage defending from a
dementor
, and being attacked by a
werewolf
.
[12]
[13]
On March 11, 2019, pre-registration on
Google Play
opened for the app as well as new in-game footage was released by Niantic.
[14]
On April 17, 2019, the game was
beta released
in New Zealand.
[15]
On April 24, 2019, an email was sent in error stating that the game would launch in Australia for beta testing.
[16]
On April 26, 2019, the game launched in Australia for beta testing. But several hours later, Niantic confirmed it was another mistake and it was taken down from the
App Store
. The game was re-released in Australia on May 2, 2019.
[17]
The game was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on June 20, 2019, a day earlier than previously announced, with additional countries expected to gain access in the days ahead.
[18]
Reception
[
edit
]
According to review aggregator
Metacritic
,
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
received "mixed or average" reviews, based on 15 reviews for iOS.
[19]
The game received the People's Voice Award for "Technical Achievement" at the
2020 Webby Awards
,
[24]
while also being named as an Honoree for "Best Game Design" and a nominee for "Family & Kids".
[25]
[26]
Revenue
[
edit
]
The game generated over US$12 million in revenue in its first month of release.
[27]
The game's total revenue was estimated at US$37 million by May 2021, with 20 million downloads.
[28]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Bellen-Serrano, Haydee (February 21, 2018).
"
'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite' will soon be released by the same developers of 'Pokemon Go'
"
.
Christian Today
.
Archived
from the original on February 21, 2018
. Retrieved
February 21,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Niantic, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announce Partnership for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, an Augmented Reality Mobile Game Inspired by J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World"
(Press release).
Niantic
. November 8, 2017.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2017
. Retrieved
September 13,
2019
.
- ^
Kirwin, Ellen; Rodger, James (January 8, 2018).
"Pokemon Go creators to release Harry Potter Wizards Unite game"
.
Coventry Telegraph
. Archived from
the original
on March 20, 2018
. Retrieved
February 21,
2018
.
- ^
Colby, Clifford (June 20, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is Pokemon Go with magic wands"
.
CNET
.
Archived
from the original on March 11, 2019
. Retrieved
November 4,
2021
.
- ^
Gartenberg, Chaim (April 20, 2020).
"Niantic's AR Harry Potter game has a cute solution to COVID-19 self-quarantines"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on December 16, 2020
. Retrieved
October 10,
2020
.
- ^
McWhertor, Michael (November 8, 2017).
"Pokemon Go developer Niantic working on Harry Potter game"
.
Polygon
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite FAQ"
.
harrypotterwizardsunite.com
. Archived from
the original
on November 16, 2018
. Retrieved
November 16,
2017
.
- ^
Tassi, Paul (February 3, 2018).
"Niantic's Latest Acquisition Has Big Implications For 'Pokemon GO'
"
.
Forbes
.
Archived
from the original on February 3, 2018
. Retrieved
February 21,
2018
.
- ^
"First look at new logo for mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite"
.
Pottermore
. November 13, 2018.
Archived
from the original on November 14, 2018
. Retrieved
November 14,
2018
.
- ^
"Announcing the close of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite"
.
harrypotterwizardsunite.com
. November 2, 2021. Archived from
the original
on November 3, 2021
. Retrieved
November 2,
2021
.
- ^
Gideon, Matthew (February 7, 2022).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Shut Down"
.
Business of Esports
.
Archived
from the original on February 7, 2022
. Retrieved
April 17,
2022
.
- ^
Phillips, Tom (March 11, 2019).
"Hands-on with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the Pokemon Go follow-up Niantic wants to run for "decades"
"
.
Eurogamer
.
Archived
from the original on March 30, 2019
. Retrieved
March 14,
2019
.
- ^
Heathman, Amelia (March 13, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - release date, trailer and all you need to know about the AR game touted as the next Pokemon Go"
.
Evening Standard
. Archived from
the original
on March 13, 2019
. Retrieved
May 20,
2020
.
- ^
Sholtz, Matthew (March 11, 2019).
"Niantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is available on the Play Store for pre-registration"
.
Android Police
.
Archived
from the original on June 26, 2019
. Retrieved
March 15,
2019
.
- ^
Walker, Alex (April 17, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Has Launched (In New Zealand)"
.
Kotaku Australia
.
Archived
from the original on April 17, 2019
. Retrieved
April 17,
2019
.
- ^
Wright, Steve (April 24, 2019).
"Harry Potter Wizards Unite beta will extend to Australia"
.
Stevivor
.
Archived
from the original on June 16, 2019
. Retrieved
April 24,
2019
.
- ^
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite beta now live in Australia and New Zealand"
.
harrypotterwizardsunite.com
. May 1, 2019. Archived from
the original
on May 3, 2019
. Retrieved
May 2,
2019
.
- ^
Pereira, Chris; Knezevic, Kevin (June 21, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Mobile Game From Pokemon Go Makers Is Out Now For Free"
.
GameSpot
.
Archived
from the original on June 23, 2019
. Retrieved
July 4,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite for iPhone/iPad Reviews"
.
Metacritic
.
Archived
from the original on March 19, 2023
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Dornbush, Jonathon (June 29, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Review"
.
IGN
.
Archived
from the original on September 7, 2022
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Test du jeu Harry Potter : Wizards Unite"
.
Jeuxvideo.com
(in French). June 27, 2019.
Archived
from the original on March 20, 2022
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Reiner, Andrew (July 19, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Review - Gotta Zap 'em All"
.
Game Informer
.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2022
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Andriessen, CJ (March 19, 2023).
"Review: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite"
.
Destructoid
. Archived from
the original
on February 23, 2023
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Peters, Jay (May 20, 2020).
"Here are all the winners of the 2020 Webby Awards"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on May 21, 2020
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite"
.
Webby Awards
.
Archived
from the original on November 4, 2021
. Retrieved
November 4,
2021
.
- ^
Schaffstall, Katherine; Howard, Annie (April 28, 2020).
"Webby Awards: Lizzo, Jennifer Garner, Hollywood Reporter Among Nominees"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on May 19, 2022
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Handrahan, Matthew (July 24, 2019).
"Harry Potter: Wizards Unite's first month revenue lags far behind Pokemon Go"
.
GamesIndustry.biz
.
Archived
from the original on November 29, 2020
. Retrieved
December 16,
2020
.
- ^
Forde, Matthew (May 3, 2021).
"Why Harry Potter: Wizards Unite failed to find the magic"
.
Pocket Gamer
.
Archived
from the original on November 3, 2021
. Retrieved
November 4,
2021
.
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