Everything About the Harry Potter AR Game, the Successor of Pokemon GO

There’s something wrong with the title.

Firstly, the true successor of Pokémon GO is Pokémon SLEEP, a game that encourages sleeping, and will be out by 2020.

And secondly, the difference between Harry Potter and Pokémon is way too big: one’s a wizard and the other one is about…cute pocket monsters.

But by now, you should know why everyone’s calling this new game a Pokémon GO successor: it’s made by the same company that developed Pokémon GO and the gameplay is same same but different with Pokémon GO.

Here’s what you need to know about this game lest it becomes a worldwide phenomenon.

Wizards Unite

For a start, the game’s co-developed by Pokémon GO developer Niantic Inc and AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros, the owner of the Harry Potter rights.

In comparison, Pokémon GO is developed by Niantic Inc and The Pokémon Company, the rights owner of the Pokémon franchise.

Just like Pokémon GO, the game took years to develop. For some reason, one of us asked our developer how much it’ll cost to make such an app. He looked at us and said with a face that we’ve never seen before: “Everything.”

The gameplay resembles Pokémon GO, but instead of walking around to catch Pokémon, you’d be fighting monsters and finding things like artifacts.

Of course you’ll be encountering characters and items from the Harry Potter films, and even Harry Potter himself.

“You see all your favorite characters and artifacts, whether it’s the Sorting Hat, or Buckbeak, or whether it’s Harry himself or Newt Scamander,” the studio head of Warner Bros. Games San Francisco said.

Unlike Pokémon GO that has no storyline, this game is different: a story will unfold in the game, so it’s not just interactive but plot-driven, too.

Neat.

The game was supposed to be out today in the US and UK, but somehow it was available for download yesterday afternoon, and it looks dope.

Here, take a look:

A few things you’d realise:

1. The graphics are really lit
2. It’s indeed very plot-driven with lots of talking
3. There are quests involved
4. Battle isn’t based on luck but skills
5. You need good fingers for the game

To be perfectly honest, this looks much better than Pokémon GO, which is just mindless catching of cute creatures.

But with so many English text, uncles and aunties in Singapore might just give it a miss.

When is It Coming to Singapore?

Currently, it’s live in the US and UK, and on beta in Australia and New Zealand.

However, according to the official Twitter account of Wizards Unite, the 21 June 2019 launch is the beginning of a worldwide launch—which means we’re definitely going to see it in Singapore.

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

It’s just a matter of when.

Back in 2016, Pokémon GO was released on 6 July in the US and in Singapore on 6 August.

If history repeats itself, we should be seeing Harry Potter and gang in our phone by late July.