14 DAY TRIAL // Harry Potter, the much loved children’s book and movie series, is being brought into the age of motion tracking with a new video game that developer Eurocom and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are set to deliver for the Kinect motion tracking system from Microsoft.
The game will star Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and will pick up their story as they head towards the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in order to begin their training.
The events of the Kinect-powered Harry Potter will be drawn from the entire series of books and movies and the face-scanning elements of the Microsoft technology will allow every gamer to scan their own face in order to create a customized witch or wizard to play as.
All spells in the game will be launched using a combination of hand movements and voice recognition, immersing gamers into the unique casting experience of Harry Potter.
The team working on the game at Eurocom has not stated exactly what the plot of the game will be, but they have mentioned that gamers will be able to experience sequences like a visit to Ollivanders, choosing a house to inhabit at Hogwarts and battling an all-powerful foe in the final sequences of the series.
Samantha Ryan, who is the senior vice president at the Production and Development division of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, stated, “Harry Potter for Kinect will engage Harry Potter fans old and new by bringing them into the wizarding world as truly active participants.”
She commented, “Kids and parents will enjoy recreating their favourite Harry Potter adventures, from flying a broomstick in a Quidditch match, to battling pixies and duelling other wizards.”
It’s not clear when the Kinect powered Harry Potter video game will be launched or whether Warner Bros. has plans to also port it to the upcoming Wii U home console from Nintendo or other platforms.