“Wizards Unite” Brings Dragons to San Diego Comic-Con
The team behind the creation of our favorite new AR wizarding adventure mobile app game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, came together in an expansive panel at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday where they discussed what went into the creation of the game as well as what we can expect for the future. Moderator Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) sat down with panelists Mary Casey (Executive Director of Product) and April Stegall (Senior Art Manager) from WB Games San Francisco, alongside Archit Bhargava (Director of Worldwide Product Marketing) and Alex Moffit (Product Manager) from Niantic to discuss the magical and already beloved game in detail.
When asked what Confoundable they were most proud of, Stegall answered the Erkling because “he has a creepy face, and he has the craziest animations.” She also expanded on the use of motion capture technology in the creation of the different Confoundables and showed a behind-the-scenes video clip of actors in motion capture suits creating the magic behind two goblins attempting to steal an Acromantula egg (where a roll of bubble wrap was actually used in place while filming)!
When asked about the smaller details such as weather, moon phases, and landmarks in the game, Moffit responded with “Nothing is by accident. That is all there for some reason. Everything has some sort of logic for you to figure out.” It’s very apparent that a lot of hard work and detail went into every aspect of the game, and everything you see has meaning. We learned that there are even Master Notes that can help you brew potions in alternative ways as a callback to a certain Potions professor we are all very familiar with.
There are also quite a few things to look forward to for the future of the game. Casey excitedly announced at the panel that a brand-new background mode is coming, which will allow the app to track your steps in the background when the game is not actively open on your phone and help you unlock those Portkeys quicker! The game will also be introducing a new type of creature later this year, which Charlie Weasley would be very excited for… dragons! Soon enough, you will be able to find different species of region-locked dragons in the wild for a new layer of exciting gameplay.
After revealing these exciting new features at their panel, codevelopers and copublishers Niantic and WB Games celebrated the first-ever Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Community Day event on Saturday, July 20 in San Diego. The final announcement of the day was that a very special Wizards Unite fan event will be happening in Indianapolis, Indiana, over Labor Day weekend (August 31–September 1). Wizards and witches in the area can head over to White River State Park that weekend to gather together for some interactive gameplay with the creators themselves! If you’re interested in learning more details about the event experience, make sure to check out WizardsUnite.com/fanfestival and keep an eye out on the Wizards Unite Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can also check out the latest blog post from Wizards Unite itself for pictures from San Diego Comic-Con, including images of the new dragons in-game and Community Day events from around the world.
