MMOARG Harry Potter Wizards Unite is launching globally on Friday

June 19, 2019 9:30 AM

Well, that was sudden: After just two months in beta in Oceania, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will roll out globally this Friday, June 21st. Niantic, best known for its wildly popular MMOARG Pokemon Go (which itself was preceded by the groundbreaking Ingress), first announced the title back in 2017 as a mobile multiplayer augmented reality title.

Niantic CEO John Hanke told GIbiz that he has high hopes for the game. “Harry Potter’s a bigger franchise in terms of global awareness and fanbase than Pokémon was, so there’s huge potential there,” he told GIbiz. “It’s one of the only big franchises that has more female than male fans. When you look at Star Wars or Avengers or IP like that, they tend to skew male. Harry Potter is the only one that really pulls against that. We want these things to appeal broadly, and I think that’s the key to unlocking the social opportunity — to have a good mix of people. You want male and female, and also diversity in age. Potter has that cross-gender appeal, and then you’ve got kids and parents. You’ve got kids who grew up with it — my daughter’s in college now, and she was in the heart of it when she was eight or nine years old.”

We’re just over here still trying to make HPWU – “hipwoo” – a thing.

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 pic.twitter.com/ckk4s4mi8a

— Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (@HPWizardsUnite) June 19, 2019