The day of his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter’s world was turned upside down after meeting a half-human/half-giant, learning he was a wizard, and being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As a huge fan of Harry Potter and the rest of J.K. Rowling’s magical wizarding world, I know I have been waiting for my Hogwarts letter for some time now, and I’m sure there are many others out there who could say the same.  However, the waiting is finally over!  The time for all of us muggles to feel like a true witch or wizard has finally come!

On Wednesday November 8, 2017, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released a new string of games under the label Portkey Games and based on J.K. Rowling’s wizarding universe.  An article was published on Pottermore, the official Harry Potter website, as well as shared across all major social media platforms.  Potterheads all across the globe were talking about the all the possibilities of new games that could come from this label.  But it didn’t stop there!

That same day, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment revealed their partnership with Niantic Inc., the same company that brought you Pokémon GO, to create one of their first games released under Portkey Games: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.  This is a mobile game app that uses “state-of-the-art augmented reality technology on smartphones,” the article on Pottermore states.  This technology will allow the player to “view the real world through a wizarding world lens.”

In the game, players can explore the wizarding world through different adventures, like meeting iconic witches and wizards, casting spells, and finding ‘fantastic beasts.’ And with the wizarding world lined up alongside our own, who knows?  Maybe you’ll run into one of the Weasleys at your local diner!

I don’t know about everyone else, but I know I am extremely excited for this game.  I’ve been a huge fan of Harry Potter ever since I made a deal with one of my friends back in the 7^th grade to read the series as long as he read one of my books.  I don’t remember if he ever read my book, but I’m glad I made that deal; otherwise I’d be missing out on one of the greatest stories of our time.

The best part of the entire Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the fact that every aspect of the franchise has expanded and become completely immersive.  No matter what aspect of Rowling’s wizarding universe you look into, from the original books to the themed attractions at Universal Studios, you feel like you are a part of this beautiful and imaginative world.  And now with the new augmented reality game to hopefully come out in the next year or so, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will take immersive to a whole new level, and I don’t see these expansions stopping any time soon.

After all this time, the Harry Potter books will always hold a special place in my heart.  But as the story continues to grow and expand, there is no telling when I will get enough of the Harry Potter Universe.  My excitement for the newest Harry Potter immersion has got me thinking only one thing: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”