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‘Harry Potter Go’? Petition Gains Traction To Create Pokémon-Styled Augmented Reality Game For Wizards

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 03:27 PST, Jul 20, 2016

Harry Potter and Pokémon GO don’t really have much in common aside from the occasional creature. One is about young wizards and witches learning about magic in a controlled environment. The other is about capturing small monsters and pitting them against each other for the sake of being “the best there ever was.”

Ever since Pokémon was turned into an augmented reality game, however, fans of J.K. Rowling’s ever-growing fictional universe have wanted the same thing. The idea of getting into magic duels with friends and strangers is popular enough that a petition started by Ashtyn Hannon might just get Warner Bros.’ attention.

We might actually see Harry Potter GO in the future, possibly with a variety of activities straight from the wizarding world. Ashtyn’s idea would expectedly tie in with the prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a story idea which does sound a lot like Pokémon.

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The focus of this potentially huge mobile application would be to simulate being a student of Hogwarts, except with one slight change. In the books, it’s against the rules to perform magic outside the school.

Instead of Pokemon, you would wander the neighborhood and the world around you, looking for Horcruxes and the means to destroy them. You might find a basilisk fang or a virtual basilisk to fight under a bridge or inside a public park, so you can use its fang to destroy one of the Horcruxes later and prevent the return of Lord Voldemort.

You might even find various mythical beasts to fight, such as hippogriffs, dragons, the dreaded cerberus, or even a troll.

In the meantime you could perform small tasks to earn points for your wizarding house, or win duels with virtual spells. Ashtyn supplied a scenario where you can use “expelliarmus” and disable your rival’s app for a few seconds.

Harry Potter GO could also put you in a potions class with Professor Snape to perfect a draft which may help you in your travels. Imagine getting into a Quidditch mini-game with your friends and taking a sip of “liquid luck” to guarantee that you catch the golden snitch and win the match.

You might even find a bunch of Dementors flying around over a lake and send them fleeing by yelling “Expecto Patronum!” It would almost be the ultimate way of letting the world know how big a Harry Potter fan you really are.

Of course, just like with Pokemon, there are also some precautions to be taken if Harry Potter GO actually hits iPhone and Android. Some gamers have been known to create big problems and even walk off cliffs while playing the current augmented reality game. Hopefully, there will be a safety feature which prevents you from playing Harry Potter GO while driving, or warns you of a potentially deadly real-world obstacle.

If the petition gains enough signatures, Warner Bros. might go ahead and secure J.K. Rowling’s permission to make this virtual wizard version of Pokémon GO. With Fantastic Beasts coming to theaters, and Cursed Child hitting the Broadway-style theater in London, the timing would be almost perfect.

Do you think Harry Potter GO could be the next big game? Sign the petition by clicking here, and see if Warner Bros. listens.

[Image via Warner Bros. Pictures]

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