SAN FRANCISCO, June 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/
-- Niantic has announced collaborations with AT&T and
Simon to integrate special real-world activations in the augmented
reality mobile game, Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite™, across retail locations
around the United States. Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite is an augmented reality
(AR) real-world mobile game co-developed by Niantic, Inc. and WB Games under the Portkey
Games label. The game is now available on the App Store, Google Play, and Samsung
Galaxy Store in the United
States, United Kingdom,
Australia, New Zealand as well as many other countries.
The game will be launching in additional countries soon.
"We're excited to team up with AT&T and Simon to create a
variety of custom Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite gameplay experiences for
players visiting the thousands of retail stores and large-scale
shopping destinations around the United
States," said Omar Tellez,
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Niantic. "Real world games
like Harry Potter:
Wizards Unite are all about engaging with the world
around you, creating new and unique opportunities for players to
interact within their neighborhoods, towns and cities like
never-before."
Wizards and Witches playing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be
able to earn additional rewards and encounter more virtual enemies
at Inns and Fortresses placed at more than 10,000 AT&T and
Cricket Wireless retail stores beginning June 21 and July 15
respectively. All AT&T sponsored locations will give players
more XP at Fortresses and more spell energy at Inns, than any other
non-sponsored location in the US. Plus, players will be able to
take part in exclusive, limited time quests only available at
AT&T and Cricket locations to help them level up faster.
AT&T stores now also feature more than 25
exclusive Harry Potter:
Wizards Unite consumer products like battery packs,
fast chargers and more, as well as Wizarding World imagery for the
perfect AR photo backdrop. Flagship AT&T stores in Chicago and San
Francisco will host expanded Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite build-outs where players can immerse
themselves in the augmented reality experience. In addition,
AT&T will also be a key sponsor at Harry Potter: Wizards
Unite real-world events in the future. For a limited
time, beginning July 15, new
customers purchasing at Cricketwireless.com will have the
opportunity to receive up to $50
worth of in-game Galleons as a gift with purchase.
"AT&T is proud to collaborate with Niantic and WB Games, true leaders in
augmented reality and real-world mobile gaming, to continue to
bring consumers closer to the content they love," said Valerie Vargas, SVP, Advertising and Creative
Services, AT&T. "AT&T's network helps us give Wizards
across the country new ways to interact with their most beloved
Harry Potter characters."
Beginning today, Simon Malls®, Mills®, and Premium Outlets® will
feature an amplified Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite game play experience in
the United States with increased
rewards and elusive enemies. Simon's 200+ US shopping destinations
will each have multiple sponsored Inns and Fortresses, giving
players more XP and more spell energy than any other non-sponsored
location in the US. This, coupled with both indoor and outdoor
locations and plenty of shopping and dining options to enjoy while
playing, makes Simon shopping destinations one of the best places
to spend a day playing Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite. In the future, select Simon
properties will host real-world events and QR assignments
for Harry Potter: Wizards
Unite.
"Simon is committed to creating fun, innovative, real-life
experiences for our shoppers, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is
exactly the type of cutting-edge activation our customers get
excited about playing. We believe the elevated gameplay we're
offering as a part of the program will drive traffic and excitement
for our properties as well as the brands and retailers at Simon,"
said Lee Sterling, Senior Vice
President Brand Management,
Simon.
Harry Potter: Wizards
Unite 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.
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 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, Ingress and Harry
Potter: Wizards Unite (co-developed with WB Games). For more
information on Niantic,
visit www.nianticlabs.com.
About AT&T Communications
We help family,
friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From
the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we
innovate to improve lives. We have the nation's fastest wireless
network.** And according to America's biggest test, we have the
nation's best wireless network.*** We're
building FirstNet just for first responders and creating
next-generation mobile 5G. With DIRECTV, DIRECTV
NOW and WatchTV, we deliver entertainment people love to
talk about. Our smart, highly secure solutions serve nearly 3
million global businesses - nearly all of the Fortune 1000. And
worldwide, our spirit of service drives employees to give back to
their communities.
AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Learn
more at att.com/CommunicationsNews.
AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information about
AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com.
Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook
at facebook.com/att and on YouTube
at youtube.com/att.
© 2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
** Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence®
data average download speeds for Q1 2019.
*** According to America's biggest test as announced by Global
Wireless Solutions last fall.
About Simon
Simon is a global leader in the ownership
of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use
destinations and an S&P 100 company (Simon Property Group,
NYSE: SPG). Our properties across North
America, Europe, and
Asia provide community gathering
places for millions of people every day and generate billions in
annual sales. For more information, visit simon.com.
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.
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