Expecto Patronum! What to Expect from Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

After Pokémon GO, it`s the next big thing in the Augmented Reality (AR) gaming section: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Within 15 hours after its release, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was at the top spot in the U.S. iOS App store under the free games category and after 24 hours players already spent $300,000 for in-app purchases. Since we are very curious minds, it’s no surprise that we had to try it!

A Closer Look

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is made by Niantic, the same developer studio which also produced Pokémon Go in 2016. At the most basic level, Wizards Unite bears resemblances to its predecessor: You walk around the real world and take occasional breaks to interact with AR elements. You swipe, you collect. Instead of being a Poketrainer, you now work as a wizard to protect the wizarding world from being discovered by the Muggles (non-magicians for the non-Potterheads among us). Players walk around trying to return so called ‘foundables’ by using energy to cast spells. If successful, the ‘foundable’ is added to the registry. Along the way, you stop at virtual inns and greenhouses, where you are able to recharge your spell energy and get items to craft potions. At certain locations on the map you pass fortresses, where players can team up together to fight in Wizard Challenges.

Niantic hasn’t let Pokémon Go’s success pigeonhole its Potter fantasia. The result is rich in details and very complex. But it’s also fun, different and makes you excited to see what´s next – both within the game and in the future.

Back to the Real Reality

Augmented Reality is a real game changer. It allows objects to be labeled and identified in the viewer’s visual point of view. Many innovative projects have shown that AR has a very good commercial value and potential – not only for the gaming industry. Other industries benefit from this technology, too, for example the furniture industry: Ikea launched an Augmented Reality app in 2017, allowing people to check whether their favourite piece fits their home or not.

AR Goes Printing

Even for the printing industry, the possibilities to use Augmented Reality are endless. AR creates unlimited opportunities to enhance print with a range of unlockable digital content. This could be videos, competitions, games and more. It’s a powerful way to boost the value of any reading material and creates memorable reader experiences. A best practice is definitely Madame Tussaud’s interactive AR guidebook. The famous waxwork museum in London enhanced its souvenir guidebooks with a range of entertaining features: Readers can scan the pages to bring characters like Sherlock Holmes or Iron Man to life, find their closest celebrity match, unlock videos of how the waxworks are made, and more. Well, who else feels remembered of the Harry Potter moving pictures?

AR will change the way we think of marketing and printing. What are your thoughts about this?