EA, Warner Bros Announce Harry Potter's Return With Half-Blood Prince

EA Casual and Warner Bros. Interactive have announced that the next installment of the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will be arriving this fall for the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS, PC, Mac, and mobile devices. The game will launch later this year, coinciding with the release of the film of the same name, based on the sixth book in the massively popular series. EA says the game, in development by its Guildford, UK based EA Bright Light Studio, will let players "engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory." Players will also "get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince." The Bright Light studio is also currently working on its own original IP with Zubo, a music-based rhythm-action game for Nintendo DS and slated for worldwide release later this year. Said Bright Light head Harvey Elliott, “We believe that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game represents a milestone in the movie tie-in genre. Building on the technological advancements of previous games in the series and with a particular focus on the unique control system of Nintendo’s WiiTM, the team here is working closely with the filmmakers to create an immersive interactive experience that captures the story, the action, the excitement and, above all, the fun of the film.”