After a mysterious site sprung up last week, Harry Potter fans were in a frenzy. Today, author J.K. Rowling revealed what the new Potter portal had been hinting at. The biggest news — for fans and the publishing industry alike — is that Rowling will release the long-awaited Harry Potter ebooks herself, directly through Pottermore, the new website. The Harry Potter ebooks won't be constrained by DRM, the copyright licensing system that constrains much virtual media.
Beyond the ebook reveal, Rowling hinted that Pottermore will offer an interactive world "where fans can share, participate in, and rediscover the stories." It's not entirely clear if there will be a full multiplayer online game like many fans had hoped, but details from Wired suggest that fans will be able to navigate the virtual world along with the story, exploring familiar settings like Gringotts and Hogwarts, even using a virtual currency — galleons, of course.
While there are no new books in the works, Rowling hinted that Pottermore will be the home of new material that she's been "hoarding for years" about the intricately crafted fantasy universe that took the world by storm. The beta version of Pottermore will launch of July 31 — but only for the first 1 million fans to track down the clues to an online Potter-themed scavenger hunt. The full new virtual Harry Potter experience will open its gates on October 1.
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