Pottermore Prepares for Relaunch to Showcase Wider Wizarding World

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There has been speculation and wonder among the Potterheads of the Internet as to what will happen to Pottermore now that all of the Moments from the Harry Potter book series are released. Just recently, Pottermore announced that the FINAL House Cup winner was Hufflepuff and that the end was in sight for the website.

Or was it?

Today, we are learning that Pottermore is revamping and restructuring the entirety of the website to include information from the wider magical world that Rowling continues to provide to the fans: A West End play titled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the new Fantastic Beasts film trilogy, and Rowling’s continued infusion of information on her Twitter account – like how James Sirius was Sorted in Gryffindor to the dismay of Hufflepuff Head Boy Teddy Lupin.

Pottermore CEO, Susan Jurevics, stated that this change is going to focus the site away from a new generation of readers and instead focus on the demographics of the individuals who visit the site regularly.

When Pottermore first started, it was positioned for the next generation of readers, and that next generation was almost by default tagged to be children. So the current site gamified the content, making it very simplistic in terms of collecting things and casting spells. That was appropriate for children, but that wasn’t actually the core audience.

The new functionality of Pottermore will now step away from the desktop and laptop main usage and prepare for the users to be engaged on mobile devices like phones and iPad. Jurevics stated:

From a technology point of view, when Pottermore was designed and conceived the iPad had not yet been launched, and the population didn’t yet sleep with their phones on. The current Pottermore is really a laptop or desktop experience, and that type of usage is going away.

Pottermore will continue to sell the Harry Potter e-books, but this area of the site will also be under development.

Tell us what you think of the new Pottermore “wider wizarding world” focus in the comments below. Are we stepping away from the basic fabric of the series too much too quickly, or is this the direction fans want to go? We want to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Press Release

Pottermore to launch reimagined website featuring news, commentary, and insights about J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World

For release 11 September 2015

Pottermore announced today that its newly imagined and redesigned website will launch in the coming weeks. Positioned as the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, it will include more original content than ever before, with entertaining features, articles, and the latest news from the Wizarding World.

Pottermore will continue to have at its core new writing by J.K. Rowling and will feature significantly more original content. This includes commentary and timely news items from the Pottermore Correspondent, a professional journalist hired by Pottermore, especially for this role. Pottermore will showcase news relating to the Wizarding World, including the Warner Bros. feature film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, based on an original J.K. Rowling screenplay, and the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child based on a new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, and written by Jack Thorne, which is set to open in London in 2016.

Susan L. Jurevics, Chief Executive Officer, Pottermore, said: “J.K. Rowling is continuing to expand her magical universe beyond the Harry Potter stories, and as the Wizarding World expands, so do we. We are excited to provide a new digital destination with an authentic voice, which will delight everyone interested in exploring this world. The new enhanced Pottermore is continually evolving, and is tailored to unlock and stimulate the imagination of our audience like never before.”

An elegant new logo has been created, using J.K. Rowling’s own handwriting, and a complete makeover of the visual framework of the site features sumptuous new imagery, a fresh new palette, and socially shareable content. Users will find all areas easier to access, due to the elimination of mandatory registration, as well as responsive designs for optimal viewing across a wide range of devices.

The new version of pottermore.com is an English-language site only, making it easier for the site to be a flexible and evolving digital platform for the Wizarding World. The Harry Potter eBooks and digital audiobooks will remain available to buy via the Pottermore Shop: https://shop.pottermore.com.

About Pottermore

Pottermore is the digital entertainment, news, and e-commerce company from J.K. Rowling, inspired by the Harry Potter books and the wider Wizarding World. Launched in 2012, it is also the global publisher of the Harry Potter eBooks and digital audiobooks. As the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, pottermore.com is dedicated to unlocking the power of imagination. It offers news, features, and articles as well as new and previously unreleased writing by J.K. Rowling.

 

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