'Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery' release date announced, film actors lending voices

It has been a long time coming, and finally, “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” is set to release on mobile devices at the end of the month. Not only that, actors who appeared in the Harry Potter films will be lending their voices to the game.

Los Angeles-based studio Jam City, in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, has confirmed that “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” will launch globally on April 25 US time. The game will be available on iOS and Android.

Potterheads are in for more, as six actors from the movies based on J.K. Rowling’s books will be reprising their roles in the game. Dame Maggie Smith will provide voiceover work for Professor McGonagall, Michael Gambon for Professor Dumbledore, Warwick Davis for Professor Flitwick, Sally Mortemore for Madam Irma Pince, Gemma Jones for Madam Pomfrey, and Zoe Wanamaker for Madam Hooch.

“Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” will allow fans of the Harry Potter series to experience life as a student in Hogwarts through characters they themselves have created and personalised. Players will attend classes, learn spells, and interact with other students.

"Our goal with Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is to make players really feel for the first time like they’re attending Hogwarts,” Chris DeWolfe, co-founder and CEO of Jam City, said in a statement. “By including these iconic and incredibly talented actors in the game, we come one step closer to truly giving fans their own Hogwarts experience.”

When asked which class she would love to take, Dame Maggie Smith said in the same statement, “If I could attend Hogwarts as a student, I would be most excited to attend the potions class taught by Severus because it is the most exotic.”

In related news, another Harry Potter-themed game is being planned for a 2018 release. “Pokemon Go” developer Niantic is working on another Augmented Reality (AR) titled “Wizards Unite,” also based on Rowling’s wizarding world.