Harry Potter Video Game Release Pushed Back
Warner
Brothers Interactive Entertainment and Electronic Arts have confirmed
that the new ‘Harry Potter’ game will ship in summer 2009 to coincide
with the film’s new release.
The
movie version was to hit screens this November but has
been pushed back to next summer, which has prompted the new release
date for the game tie-in.
Speaking
about the game, EA Casual Studios vice president Robert Nashak said:
“We’re excited about the ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ video
game in development and its high level of authenticity and
playability.”
“We
are creating an immersive game experience that Potter fans around the
world will really enjoy playing as they fly and duel their way through
the story of the film. The game will feature new Wii gestures and
increased gameplay capabilities across all of the platforms.”
The
firm’s Bright Lights studio is developing the title after overseeing
all previous Harry Potter games including the most recent ‘Harry Potter
And The Order Of The Phoenix’.
In
related news, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has won her long-running
battle with a fan who planned to publish an unauthorised guide to her
wizard franchise.
Rowling
began legal proceedings against writer Steve Vander Ark and publisher
Rdr Books last year after learning of their plans to release The Harry
Potter Lexicon.
A New York district court Judge Robert Patterson ruled in Rowling’s favour and banned the encyclopedia-style project’s release.
Patterson told the court that Rdr “failed to establish an affirmative defence of fair use”.