The secret to Pottermore and J.K. Rowling’s “announcement” has finally been revealed. After the site teased a gathering of owls for nearly a week, the question “what is Pottermore?!” has finally been answered.
Rowling has created a virtual world that combines a new reading experience with the promise of exclusive content the author has been keeping to herself. Interactive moments in the Harry Potter books will come to life for the reader with illustrations. The reader will go through the same experiences that Harry encounters along the way. From being sorted into your house to casting spells, mixing potions, visiting Diagon Alley and having your wand choose you the site will be a safe way to be a part of the Potter phenomenon.
Currently only a select few will get to enter the experience. On July 31st fans can return to the site to get a chance for early admission. If you aren’t the privileged few, you will have to wait for the site to officially open in October.
* Rowling has extensive new material about the characters that will be available through Pottermore
*An online shop will eventually incorporate an online shop where the Harry Potter e-books can be purchased
*The first 1 million people to complete registration on July 31st (Harry’s Birthday) will get the coveted early entry
*The story will start, obviously, at the beginning with ‘The Sorcerer’s Stone” (aka “The Philosopher’s Stone”) and “The Chamber of Secrets” is due to go live in early 2012
Here is the Pottermore press release…
For this groundbreaking collaborative project, J.K. Rowling has written extensive new material about the characters, places and objects in the much-loved stories, which will inform, inspire and entertain readers as they journey through the storylines of the books. Pottermore will later incorporate an online shop where people can purchase exclusively the long-awaited Harry Potter eBooks, in partnership with J.K. Rowling’s publishers worldwide, and is ultimately intended to become an online reading experience, extending the relevance of Harry Potter to new generations of readers, while still appealing to existing fans. As the Pottermore Shop develops, it is intended that it should include further products designed specifically for Harry Potter fans, offering a potential outlet for Sony products and services related to Pottermore. In keeping with Harry Potter’s international appeal, the site will launch in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with more languages to follow.
In the new website, the storyline will be brought to life with sumptuous newly-commissioned illustrations and interactive ‘Moments’ through which you can navigate, starting with the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer’s) Stone. On entering, you choose a magic username and begin your experience. As you move through the chapters, you can read and share exclusive writing from J.K. Rowling, and, just as Harry joins Hogwarts, so can you. You visit Diagon Alley, get sorted into a house, cast spells and mix potions to help your house compete for the House Cup.
At a press conference at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Rowling revealed some key features of the website. In an announcement which will thrill fans, she described how she has brought to life both the Sorting Hat and Ollivanders experiences from her books for the first time on Pottermore, by revealing the questions asked by the Sorting Hat – which places newcomers into their Hogwarts houses according to their characteristics – and the magic behind the Wand Chooser – which finds the right wand for each user from over 33,000 possible combinations. She also revealed glimpses of the new information she has provided on some of the best-loved characters.
Below are some teaser photos to give a brief glimpse of what is to come. Mugglenet has more. Click HERE to check those out!
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Images Via: Mugglenet
