Guildford, U.K. – April 22nd, 2008 – EA’s Casual Entertainment Label and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ video game will be released later this year to coincide with the Warner Bros. Pictures film based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book.

“We believe that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game represents a milestone in the movie tie-in genre,” said Harvey Elliott, Head of EA Bright Light studio in the UK where the Harry Potter franchise has its home. “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. ”

“Working with EA, we look forward to offering fans a compelling Harry Potter video game, one which captures the thrilling storyline and high visual quality of the movie,” said Scott Johnson, Vice President, Business Development for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The adherence to the rich fiction is a trademark of this franchise and with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince fans will experience the most authentic and enjoyable game in the series to date.”

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to 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 may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Under development by EA Bright Light Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for release in time for the movie launch this fall for the Wii„§, PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Nintendo DS„§, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.

 

Link -> http://gonintendo.com/?p=40905#more-40905

I am personally very pleased to hear this. I loved the last Harry Potter game on Wii and can't wait to see what they can do if they try more.

And this is another fact that sales determine where the games go and how they are done, not technical prowess or brand loyalty...

Here is the sales breakdown for each next-gen console :

Nintendo Wii           -> 0.19 million units
Sony PS3                 -> 0.11 million units
Microsoft Xbox 360 -> 0.16 million units 

PS: The half-blooded Prince ( the next Harry Potter iteration ) is one of the best books, look out for it... 

yeah I read good move from EA

Now it doesn't say that directly, but does this mean it is being built on Wii and ported to all others...or like the 'norm' of built on ps2 and port to Wii and build on 360 and ported to ps3.

I would think with the massive success of the last potter game on Wii it would be the former, but, this article doesn't really say.

Yeah like superchunk said it's still unclear.

But in all honesty I wouldn't be surprised. The Harry Potter games aren't my cup of tea at all. They are obviously targeted to a different demographic yet the only game I could reasonably enjoy was the Wii version of OotP due to the wiimote controls. It was still just a "rent" at best but there is definitely something satisfying about knowing the motion to twirl the wiimote to cast "Reparo" and doing it as if you were holding a wand.

YAY, This is good news for a Wii/Harry Potter fan.
Like me.

Is this a good thing? The last game was crap.

The last Harry Potter game was surprisingly good. I dislike Harry Potter in general, but the last game was a good game nonetheless.

Oooooopppppppppsssssss!!!

I accidentally put a ! instead of an ? sorry? ( see, I did it again :P)

 You also can't rule out target market.  The demographic that buys the Wii is largely different than the one that buys the PS3 or 360. 

The last game was mediocre at least; it just ended up being a nonstop errand. But it showed some HUGE potential for a great next iteration on Wii.