First Real-World “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” Fan Festival Brings the Magic to Indianapolis on Labor Day Weekend 2019
(June 27, 2019 – San Francisco, CA & Indianapolis, IN) – Niantic, Inc. and WB Games, in collaboration with the City of Indianapolis, announced the first ever real-world event for “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,” the hit augmented reality (AR) mobile game played by millions of wizards and witches around the world, will be coming to Indianapolis from August 31 - September 1. “The Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” Fan Festival will take place at the White River State Park where players will be able to engage in a variety of interactive experiences bridging the in-game experience with the real world.
“Real-world events are part of Niantic’s DNA, bringing players from all walks of life together in the name of adventure, exploration and creating lasting friendships,” said Bill Kilday, vice president of marketing and live events, Niantic. “The incredible White River State Park is surrounded by the rich culture and history of Indianapolis and will be the perfect location for our inaugural ‘Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’ event.”
The first-ever real-world event for “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” will welcome players to Indianapolis to investigate the chaotic magical activity that is leaking into the Muggle world and work together to solve the mystery of this Calamity. Players will explore Indianapolis and the beautiful White River State Park to discover mysterious artifacts, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts alongside their friends and other players.
“We’re delighted to welcome thousands of wizards and witches playing ‘Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’ to Indy over Labor Day weekend,” said Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy. “Our long history of hosting gamers from around the world and delivering large-scale events makes Indy the perfect place to launch this first-of-its-kind event, an event which will also put Indy’s culture and local businesses on full display in front of a global audience.”
Over the last eight years, Niantic has been developing and producing real-world events as key elements of their real-world mobile games portfolio, which includes “Ingress” and “Pokémon GO.” From community driven meetups to large-scale produced events welcoming tens of thousands of players in a weekend, Niantic has hosted millions of players at events that have taken place across hundreds of cities and locations around the world.
“Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” is co-published and co-developed by Niantic, Inc. and WB Games under the Portkey Games label. The innovative AR game is built on the Niantic Real World Platform, and created using the game design and content creation expertise of WB Games San Francisco. As new recruits of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, players will investigate the chaotic magical activity that is leaking into the Muggle world and work together to solve the mystery of this Calamity. Players will be able to explore their real-world neighborhoods and cities to discover mysterious artifacts, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts and iconic characters along the way.
More information about the first-ever “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” event and how fans can enter the lottery for a chance to buy tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. For more details, please visit www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com/fanfestival.
“Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” is rolling out globally and can be downloaded by players in the launch regions for free on the App Store for iPhone, Google Play for Android devices and the Samsung Galaxy Apps Store for Samsung devices.
To stay up to date on “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,” please visit www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com to receive the latest information about the game, and follow the game on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About Portkey Games
Portkey Games, from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, is the games label dedicated to creating new Wizarding World mobile and video game experiences that place the player at the center of their own adventure, inspired by J.K. Rowling’s original stories. Portkey Games offers players the opportunity to make their own narrative choices and engage with the Wizarding World setting to create new and unique experiences. The label was created to bring gamers and fans new gaming experiences that allow them to delve into the magic of the Wizarding World in immersive ways where they can define their own Wizarding World story.
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc., is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all platforms, including console, handheld, mobile and PC-based gaming for both internal and third-party game titles.
About Niantic, Inc.
Niantic, Inc., is the world’s leading Augmented Reality and mobile real-world company, building engaging applications that merge cutting-edge technology with gaming experiences that foster exploration, discovery, and social interaction. Originally incubated within Google, Niantic spun out in 2015 with investments from Google, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo. The company closed $245 million in Series C funding in January 2019 from IVP, aXiomatic Gaming, Battery Ventures, Causeway Media Partners, CRV and Samsung Ventures. Prior financing includes $200 million in 2017 from Spark Capital, Founders Fund, Meritech, Javelin Venture Partners, You & Mr. Jones and NetEase, Inc, and a follow-on from Alsop Louie Partners. The company’s immersive Real World Platform powers the ground-breaking AR games Pokémon GO and Ingress, which are available on the App Store and Google Play. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is Niantic, Inc.’s third game, co-developed with WB Games. For more information on Niantic, visit www.nianticlabs.com.
# # #