Two years ago, hot off the heels of the success of Pokemon GO, Niantic announced that it was making a similar game set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is now launching in some regions, as Niantic has confirmed its UK and USA release date for both iOS and Android devices.
Niantic has confirmed that the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite release date is Friday, June 21. This will be across both iOS and Android mobile devices in the UK and USA, and follows a testing phase where the game was already available in some countries. Niantic plans to roll the game out to other regions in the future. The full breadth of content that will be available in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite at launch is unknown at this time, but we should find out when the game release on June 21.
Like Pokemon GO and Ingress before it, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is an augmented reality game that encourages players to explore the world around them. Players can look forward to a persistent online world set in the Harry Potter universe, where they will encounter a variety of magical creatures, cast spells, and meet iconic Harry Potter characters.
Now that we know the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite release date, the next question is whether or not the game will have the same kind of success as Pokemon GO. Pokemon GO was a worldwide phenomenon when it launched in the summer of 2016, but the Harry Potter brand has been somewhat damaged in recent years. The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald film is the lowest-rated movie in the series, with disappointing box office returns compared to the other films. Plus, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, the microtransaction-ridden mobile game that was critically panned, may have left a bad taste in some mobile players’ mouths.
Of course, Hogwarts Mystery hasn’t quite had the same kind of hype behind it as Wizards Unite, and as long as Niantic delivers a fun and functional game come Friday, it should be in good shape. With launch just days away, we’ll find out soon enough if Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was worth the wait for Wizarding World fans.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will launch on June 21 for Android and iOS mobile devices.
