There was a period last summer where you’d be hard-pressed to leave the house and not encounter someone glued to their phone, en route to fight people for a Vaporeon in a park.
Now Niantic, publisher of Pokémon Go, have settled on another nostalgia goldmine for their successor. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will use technology similar to Pokémon Go to ‘go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artefacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters.’
**WATCH NOW: 7 Foods You Didn't Know Were Superfoods **
The game will be co-developed by Warner Bros. Interactive’s recently-created Portkey Games, which means we can expect the game to be true to the wizarding world we saw in the films.
There are theories that real-life Harry Potter locations like King’s Cross Station will play a role, but considering the opportunities the detail of the series offers to augmented reality, putting you into magical environments like Hogwarts and Hogsmeade seems more likely (and amazing). Pokémon Go's blueprint of a real-life scavenger hunt translates well into the HP-universe, especially considering that was the plot of the entire last book.
So even though details are sparse right now, people are hyped. Harry Potter might be getting on a bit but the success of immersive experiences like Universal’s Wizarding World, the Warner Brothers’ Studio Tour, and various restaurants and merchandise suggests we’re all still eager for anything JK Rowling throws at us.
The bad news is that we've got to wait until 2018, but at least that gives us time to decide what house we’re in before abandoning real life to be the Muggleborns we knew we were.
Like this? You might also be interested in...
2017 Is A Very Significant Year For The Final Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Epilogue
Follow Chloë on Instagram @chloeeejames
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.