Niantic Teams with AT&T and Simon to Bring the Magic of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite to Real-World Retail Locations

Interactive Augmented Reality Integrations Extend to 10,000 AT&T and Cricket Wireless Stores and 200+ Simon Properties Across the United States

News provided by

Simon

Jun 24, 2019, 16:21 ET

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.

SOURCE Simon