======Niantic======
=====Object Information=====
  * **Type:** Real-world Software Development Company
  * **Owners:** John Hanke (Founder and CEO)
  * **Maker:** Founded as an internal startup at [[Google]]; later became an independent company.
=====Description and Appearance=====
Niantic, Inc. is an American software development company based in San Francisco, California. It is best known for developing augmented reality (AR) mobile games, which overlay gameplay and digital information onto the real world. The company's mission is to use emerging technology to enrich our experiences as human beings in the physical world. While the company itself does not exist within the [[Wizarding World]], it is the creator of the official [[Harry Potter]]-themed AR game, //[[Harry Potter: Wizards Unite]]//.
=====Magical Properties and Usage=====
Through its mobile game //[[Harry Potter: Wizards Unite]]//, Niantic effectively allowed [[Muggles]] (the players) to interact with a version of the [[Wizarding World]]. The game's primary function was to have players act as new recruits for the [[Statute of Secrecy]] Task Force to combat a worldwide event known as "the Calamity." (video game)
Usage of the game involved:
  * **Exploring the real world:** Players would walk in their own neighborhoods to discover magical traces on a map.
  * **Casting [[Spells]]:** Upon encountering a magical trace, players would cast [[spells]] by tracing glyphs on their device's screen to overcome "Confoundables" and rescue "Foundables" (characters, creatures, and objects from the wizarding world). (video game)
  * **Gathering [[Ingredients]]:** Players could gather [[ingredients]] from the map to brew [[Potions]], which provided benefits during gameplay. (video game)
  * **Visiting [[Inns]] and [[Greenhouses]]:** These real-world locations provided players with Spell Energy and Potion [[ingredients]]. (video game)
  * **Wizarding Challenges:** Players could team up to battle powerful foes in "Fortresses," which were virtual locations on the map. (video game)
=====History=====
Niantic was originally formed in 2010 as an internal startup within [[Google]], led by John Hanke. During this time, it developed the AR game //Ingress//. In 2015, Niantic spun out of [[Google]] to become an independent entity.
The company achieved massive global success with the launch of //Pokémon Go// in 2016, which became a cultural phenomenon and proved the viability of location-based AR gaming on a mass scale. Building on this technology and success, Niantic announced in 2017 that it was developing a [[Harry Potter]]-themed game in partnership with [[Warner Bros. Games]]. //[[Harry Potter: Wizards Unite]]// was subsequently launched in 2019.
Despite its initial launch, the game did not retain the same level of widespread, long-term engagement as //Pokémon Go//. Niantic announced the closure of //[[Harry Potter: Wizards Unite]]// in late 2021, and the game was officially shut down and removed from app stores on January 31, 2022.
=====Role in the Story=====
Niantic has no role in the original seven-book storyline, as it is a real-world company. Its significance to the broader [[Harry Potter]] franchise is as the developer that expanded the [[Wizarding World]] into the medium of augmented reality.
//[[Harry Potter: Wizards Unite]]// represented a major addition to the official interactive content available to fans, allowing them to engage with the world of [[Harry Potter]] in a new, immersive way. The game introduced a new narrative centered around "the Calamity" and featured both familiar characters like [[Harry Potter]] and [[Hermione Granger]] in new voice-over roles, as well as new characters created for the game. (video game) The game's existence and eventual shutdown mark a distinct chapter in the history of the franchise's expansion beyond the original books and films.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * //[[Harry Potter: Wizards Unite]]// was released under the [[Portkey Games]] label, a brand from [[Warner Bros. Games]] dedicated to creating new [[Wizarding World]] mobile and video game experiences that place the player at the center of their own adventure. (Portkey Games)
  * The narrative for the game was not written by [[J.K. Rowling]], but it was developed in collaboration with her team to ensure it felt authentic to the [[Wizarding World]]. (J.K. Rowling interview)
  * The decision to shut down the game was attributed to its inability to maintain a sufficiently large player base to be sustainable, unlike Niantic's flagship title, //Pokémon Go//.