Niantic: Harry Potter game coming in second half of 2018, Pokémon Go coming to China

Augmented reality game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be released in the second half of this year. Niantic CEO John Hanke said in an interview with the Financial Times. He also announces that Pokémon Go is coming to China.

The release of Pokémon Go in China is made possible through a partnership with Chinese game company NetEase. That is one of the companies that was involved in a $200 million investment in Niantic late last year.

In the interview with the Financial Times, Hanke says that revenue from Pokémon Go in 2017 was lower than in 2016. By releasing the game in China, Niantic can probably increase revenue again; China is the world’s largest market when it comes to mobile games.

Hanke also announces that Wizards Unite will be released in the second half of this year. An exact release date has not yet been announced and no images or new details have been released of the game. In November, the development of the Harry Potter ar-game was announced; This is a collaboration between Niantic and Warner Bros.

When Pokémon Go was introduced, there were many server problems due to overload. Hanke says that he is well prepared for this with the Harry Potter game because of this experience. He also states that the company has gained a lot of expertise when it comes to regulations and the response of the public to people who play ar games. It may be easier to have ‘hotspots’ removed in the Harry Potter game.