Harry Potter Video Game Delayed

Warner Bros. has announced that the latest Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released later than originally planned.

Harry Potter fans also have another reason to be disappointed. Electronic Arts has recently announced that the latest Harry Potter video game will not be released until next summer.

EA and Warner Bros. Interactive has announced that the game's released had been postponed upon the delay of the movie that was originally scheduled for release on November 2008. The release date is now set for July 2009.

President and CEO Alan Horn admitted in his August statement that Warner Bros. Could make more money if the movie was released in the summer saying that, "the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film." Shortly after, Horn issued an apology to fans, saying Warner Bros. "would certainly never do anything to hurt any of the films."

Robert Nashak, VP of EA Casual Studios said in a statement that "We're excited about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince videogame in development and its high level of authenticity and playability."

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game is developed by EA's Bright Light Studios, the team responsible for the other Harry Potter Video games. It is scheduled for release for the Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable (PSP), Nintendo DS, Windows PC, Mac and Mobile gadgets.

The latest Harry Potter game will reportedly have several features that create an authentic head coaching experience. One of the game's most popular, and reportedly most innovative, feature is the ability to create custom plays that can be imported into Madden NFL 09.

Nashak's statement also said that "we are creating an immersive game experience that Potter fans around the world will really enjoy playing as they fly and duel their way through the story of the film. The game will feature new Wii gestures and increased gameplay capabilities across all of the platforms".

Still hatemail from fans keep pouring in. Fans even posted complaint videos on YouTube.

The announcement regarding the delay also caused the shares of EA to fall 3 percent, according to Reuters. According to EA, the title had been expected to generate $120 million in revenue and 13 cents a share in profit in its current fiscal year, ending in March 31, 2009.