'Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery' mobile game enrolls you in a virtual wizarding school
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery looks like it's all about letting you live out the fantasy of enrolling in a wizarding school. The wizarding school, even.
Coming this spring from Jam City, Hogwarts Mystery is a mobile role-playing game that opens in the years before Harry came to the school, but after his birth. It's a story-driven game with a twist: You are the focus.
Players create their own Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry student, right down to selecting a pet and -- once you're enrolled -- getting sorted into one of the school's four houses. As your schooling continues, so does your student; customization appears to be a big part of the game.
If a lot of this seems vague, it's because Jam City isn't revealing much just yet. The studio's announcement promises both major story arcs and smaller, relationship-oriented quests, but specifics will have to wait for another day.
Based on the reveal trailer, Hogwarts Mystery looks like it touches on many of the elements that make the school experience in the Harry Potter stories so exciting: Classes with teachers you know, clique-y groups of friends and enemies, an ever-growing array of magical abilities, and even wizard duels.
There's not even a hint of quidditch in this trailer, but you can bet it factors into the game in some way.
Fans will have a chance to learn more firsthand before the game launches in a few months. Those who are lucky enough to attend A Celebration of Harry Potter -- running Jan. 26-28 at Universal Studios in Orlando -- will have a chance to sit down in a room with Jam City team members and hear more about the game in two separate panels.
That is, of course, in addition to the inevitable ramping up of reveals as the game gets closer to release. The game's official website is the best place to look for new info as it's revealed.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will be out for Android and iOS devices later this year, sometime before June assuming the spring launch plan doesn't change.
Topics Gaming Harry Potter
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
