Foundable

A Foundable is a magical artefact, creature, person, or even a memory that has been mysteriously displaced from the wizarding world and has appeared in the Muggle world. This phenomenon is a direct result of a magical event known as the Calamity. The core concept of Foundables is central to the plot of the augmented reality mobile game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. It is important to note that the term 'Foundable' and the associated 'Calamity' storyline do not appear in the original seven Harry Potter novels and are exclusive to supplementary game material.

In Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, players act as members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force. Their primary mission is to locate Foundables that have appeared in the Muggle world and return them to their proper place, thus preventing a mass breach of the International Statute of Secrecy. (video game) Foundables are typically guarded, trapped, or otherwise affected by a magical confounder, referred to as a Confoundable. Players must cast appropriate spells to overcome the Confoundable and release the Foundable. Successfully returning a Foundable adds a record of it to the player's in-game 'Registry'. Collecting fragments of these records for a specific Foundable completes its entry and provides the player with further rewards. (video game)

Foundables are categorized within the game's Registry, representing a wide variety of elements from the wizarding world. Categories include: (video game)

• Characters: Includes famous witches and wizards like Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Newt Scamander.
• Creatures: A vast range of magical beasts, such as Nifflers, Werewolves, and Hippogriffs.
• Objects: Notable magical items including the Marauder's Map, a Time-Turner, or a Golden Snitch.
• Memories: Depictions of key scenes and events from the Harry Potter series, such as the Yule Ball or a Duelling Club session.
• Oddities: Miscellaneous magical phenomena or items, like a Howler or an escaped Fanged Frisbee.
• Magical Arts: Foundables related to specific fields of magic, such as Potions ingredients or Dark Arts artefacts like Horcruxes.

The entire concept of Foundables was created for the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite video game, which was developed by Niantic and WB Games and released in 2019. The term does not originate from the seven core Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling or other supplementary books written by her. (video game) The narrative of the Calamity and the recovery of Foundables served as the central plot for the game, which unfolded over several years before the game was officially shut down on January 31, 2022. (video game) The premise provided a gameplay mechanic for players to interact with lore and characters from the entire Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises while reinforcing the central importance of the International Statute of Secrecy.