Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is already gearing up for its first ever real-world event this coming Labor Day Weekend. The event is made possible by Niantic and WB Games, in partnership with the City of Indianapolis. The Fan Festival takes place from August 31 to September 1 at the White River State Park.
This real-world event is expected to welcome players to Indianapolis in order to investigate the chaotic magical activity that is leaking into the Muggle world. Players need to work together in order to solve the mystery of this Calamity. Players get the chance to explore Indianapolis and the beautiful White River State Park to discover mysterious artifacts, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts alongside their friends and other players.
In a press statement, Niantic Vice-President of Marketing and Live Events Bill Kilday said that “real-world events are part of Niantic’s DNA, bringing players from all walks of life together in the name of adventure, exploration and creating lasting friendships.” He went on to say that the "incredible White River State Park is surrounded by the rich culture and history of Indianapolis and will be the perfect location for our inaugural Harry Potter: Wizards Unite event.”
Meanwhile, President and CEO of Visit Indy, Leonard Hoops, shared that the city is "delighted to welcome thousands of wizards and witches playing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite to Indy over Labor Day weekend." He added that in the city's "long history of hosting gamers from around the world and delivering large-scale events makes Indy the perfect place to launch this first-of-its-kind event, an event which will also put Indy’s culture and local businesses on full display in front of a global audience.”
For the past eight years, Niantic has been developing and producing real-world events as key elements of their real-world mobile games portfolio, which includes Ingress and Pokémon Go. From community driven meetups to large-scale produced events welcoming tens of thousands of players in a weekend, Niantic has hosted millions of players at events that have taken place across hundreds of cities and locations around the world. Niantic's latest offering, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is co-developed with WB Games under the Portkey Games label.
