WB games’ Harry Potter subsidiary Portkey Games, is partnering with NetEase to release Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, a game it describes as an “immersive collectible card game with RPG and MMO elements". While a Harry Potter MMO was once possibly in the works, this is set for a global release.
Setting the game at Hogwarts where you have been invited to attend, makes sense for this IP. Familiar elements like the Sorting Hat ceremony and joining your house, and of course, learning magic. Being that it’s a CCG, however, this means collecting cards and figuring out the best decks for all that you want to do.
As you go through the storyline, you’ll learn spells and collect cards to perform them. In addition to learning magic and collecting over 80 spell cards, you can build decks to suit your preferred play style for the task at hand. You’ll be able to explore Hogwarts and try various classes like terms, divination, and even defense against the dark arts.
In the intro trailer we see spiders, challenges, students battling, dragons, and a whole lot of magic casting cards. It’s another spin on the IP we haven’t seen yet, but it fits.
Harry Potter as the basis for a CCG is definitely banking on nostalgia but there are other activities available like making potions, battling creatures, Quidditch, and Wizarding tools in the dueling club with your fellow students. All of this comes with the promise of RPG and MMO elements to bring more than simply card combat.
Right now the game is taking pre-registrations and setting up a series of bonuses to be awarded as the number of sign ups goes up. At 500,000 signups the 1st milestone, the Nimbus 2000 broom, will be unlocked with subsequent rewards at a few other milestones up to 5 million.
NetEase is currently developing Diablo Immortal and has partnered with Niantic (which just closed its own Harry Potter game) and with CCP Games to bring Pokemon Go and EVE Online both to the Chinese market.
For more on the game and to sign up for pre-registration or updates, head to the Harry Potter: Magic Awakened site.
