Samsung will be enrolling in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, according to The Inquirer. The yet-to-be-announced partnership with Niantic, which created Pokémon Go, should be highlighted by a new Harry Potter game. Both sides are expected to create exclusive titles for Samsung's Galaxy devices.
It's unclear if Samsung gets a custom version of Niantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, or maybe there's a never-before-seen game en route. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be released on Android and iOS in 2019.
The deal could be worth as much as $40 million. It's not limited to J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, though. There might be additional games that don't belong to Harry Potter and its universe. Samsung and Niantic are able to dip into other media franchises and introduce entirely new properties as well.
Niantic's games are known for immersive experiences. With that said, the Harry Potter game made for Samsung could take advantage of the S Pen. Samsung's stylus, which now utilizes a Bluetooth connection, can be tracked in real-time.
Aside from co-developing these games, Samsung will also add Niantic's work to its list of pre-installed apps and games. So you'll see some titles already live on future Galaxy devices.
Just don't expect to see Pokémon Go pre-installed. Niantic and co-developer The Pokémon Company are very protective of that game as it continues generating a significant amount of revenue. Instead, Galaxy devices are set to have Ingress and future titles born from this partnership.
Both companies are tackling some of their biggest challenges with the deal for exclusive games. Samsung needs to stand out against other hardware manufacturers, and Niantic needs more cash as it heads toward an initial public offering. With the deal reportedly in place, Samsung gets flashy content to distribute and Niantic a big paycheck.
