Tag Archives: Pottermore

05.17.13
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Pottermore wins at Bookseller Industry Awards

The Pottermore Shop

Pottermore won the Digital Strategy Award at The Bookseller Industry Awards for their launch strategy for the Pottermore Shop, shown above.

This past Tuesday, Pottermore won the Digital Strategy of the Year Award at The Bookseller Industry Awards. They beat out some tough competition, including Random House, Kobo, Penguin, and even Bloomsbury.

The award was given to the Pottermore team for their “clear strategy to deliver a fully immersive experience” with the Pottermore Shop and its “phenomenal commercial results,” according to The Bookseller website. Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne was at the ceremony to collect the award.

Philip Jones of FutureBook wrote an interesting article about Pottermore’s win and why they deserved it. It is definitely worth a read.

From the article:

So why Pottermore [than the other candidates]? The important thing is to separate the strategy from the fact that this is the Harry Potter brand. Potter guarantees an audience, it does not secure success.

Pottermore did not win the award simply because it had the Harry Potter brand, it won because of the vision, and because of the execution of that vision. Pottermore could have been a disaster. If you want the background here it is: Pottermore, before its launch, was being written off. The strategy, as stated at its slightly premature announcement, looked overly ambitious, and what we had seen of the site up until the launch point, seemed a touch flakey. On the e-book side, all we really knew was that OverDrive was involved, and even that had some shaking their heads. Few could square the circle on how Pottermore would live up to its promise of making the e-books widely available across all devices from one location.

The Bookseller Industry Awards celebrates the very best of the publishing and book industry, recognizing the successes of everything from retailing to libraries in the publishing world. The Pottermore Team is headed by CEO Charlie Redmayne and CTO Julian Thomas, and includes a number of professionals who help run Pottermore.

Congratulations to the Pottermore team on winning the award! You’ve done an amazing job over the past year and I’m sure you’ll continue to do amazing things. :-)

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04.29.13
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Updated: Reward for the third Pottermore House Cup announced

Slytherin won the third House Cup

Slytherin won the third House Cup

A Brief Update:

Today Pottermore announced that, in return for winning the third House Cup, members of Slytherin House will receive early access to a unique Monstrose Magpies badge. The Montrose Magpies are “the most successful Quidditch team in British and Irish league history” in the world of Harry Potter.

Slytherins will be able to find the badge in their trunk over the next few days and it will be accompanied by an owl notifications. Members of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff will be able to collect the badge in one of the moments of the next installment of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Congratulations to Slytherin for winning the House Cup!

Updated: The badge was added to the trunks of Slytherin House’s members today. Check it out below:

Magpie Mag

The Montrose Magpies badge

04.25.13
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Pottermore announces the winner of the third House Cup…

Slytherin has won the third Pottermore House Cup!

Slytherin has won the third Pottermore House Cup!

Today, Pottermore announced the winners of the third House Cup competition.

And the winner is… Slytherin! Congratulations snakes!

Here are the final standings:

1st Place: Slytherin - 26,990,924 points

2nd Place: Ravenclaw - 26,916,194 points

3rd Place: Gryffindor – 26,740,44 points

4th Place: Hufflepuff - 26,715,401 points

It was another very close race, but ultimately Slytherin House came through at the end and won. Ravenclaw won second, Gryffindor third, and Hufflepuff came in last, unfortunately. This is the second time Slytherin has won the House Cup; they also won the first Pottermore House last June.

Pottermore has transformed the previously purple Great Hall banners into green once again, in honor of Slytherin’s victory. You can see how the Great Hall looks in the picture above.

The prize for this House Cup is a special badge that Slytherin House members will later be able to collect on Pottermore.com. As explained in an earlier post, details of the badge will be announced very soon, most likely tomorrow. We’ll keep you updated!

As for now, the points have been reset and thus the fourth House Cup competition commences! Happy Dueling and Brewing! :-)

04.17.13
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Pottermore announces third House Cup award date, House Pride Week

Pottermore has announced that the third Pottermore House Cup will be awarded Thursday, April 25.

They announced the House Cup in a post on the Pottermore Insider:

This is the third Pottermore House Cup – a friendly contest between the four houses who compete to earn the most house points and win the Pottermore House Cup. Points can be earned by successfully brewing a potion or winning a duel and the house  with the most points is named the winner.

This contest’s winner will be revealed on Thursday April 25 (and the hour-glasses will be concealed from Tuesday April 23 until the winner is announced).

Along with the House Cup, Pottermore announced that they will also be celebrating House Pride Week this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Pottermore shared prideful messages from users in the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin, respectively. Thursday and Friday will see us with messages from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

The winner of this House Cup will not get new chapters or artwork, but rather a Pottermore Badge that “will later be collectible on Pottermore.com.” Pottermore stated that “details of the badge will be revealed upon the announcement of the third Pottermore House Cup winner.”

And with that, let the brewing and dueling ensue! Good luck to all the houses!

04.10.13
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Chapters 8-15 of Prisoner of Azkaban released on Pottermore

A Brief but Important Update:

Pottermore has released chapters eight through fifteen of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Visit Pottermore.com and explore the new chapters.

From the Insider post:

We are excited to announce that the next instalment of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is now ready to explore. In this instalment you will witness a re-enactment of the beheading of Nearly Headless Nick, learn about the ancient wizarding game of Gobstones, pick up sweets in Honeydukes and see the ‘most haunted dwelling in Britain’ – the Shrieking Shack.

Pottermore also announced that with these new chapters, a new “Spoiler Alert” feature has been set into place.

For the first time, some of the new Moments have been released with accompanying audio book snippets for our UK, US and German users. We have also introduced a new spoiler alert feature on selected exclusive entries from J.K. Rowling. If you are about to read anything that may give away storylines or information from beyond that particular Moment on Pottermore.com, an alert will appear. You then have the choice to continue reading or to navigate away and come back at a later time so as not to spoil your own journey through the stories. You can disable the spoiler warning any time it appears and manage your spoiler settings in Account Settings.

Happy Exploring!

04.03.13
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Pottermore at PlayStation Home now available

pmpsh

Explore Diagon Alley on Pottermore at PlayStation Home.

As previously reported, through the partnership between Sony and Pottermore, Pottermore would be available on PlayStation Home, PlayStation® 3’s “free virtual 3D gaming platform.” Today the Pottermore Insider announced that the interactive online experience is now available to play at PlayStation Home.

From the Insider post:

We’re very excited to announce that Pottermore at PlayStation Home is now available, so you can step inside Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express as your own customisable avatar.

You will also be able to enjoy four exclusive mini-games. Aboard the Hogwarts Express, approach the shady looking character at the end of the train carriage to take part in an illicit Wizard’s Duel.

Enter into one of the compartments and challenge your friends to a Pottermore quiz to test your knowledge.

As well as this, you can collect and share Pottermore Trading Cards throughout Pottermore at PlayStation Home, and round up enchanted books in the Book Herding mini-game.

You can see pictures of all these in action and a trailer for the game on the Insider.

Pottermore also reiterated what they said in their announcement post, in that they have two separate teams working on the experience for PlayStation Home and the online experience at Pottermore.com. They also discussed the future of the game by saying, “This experience will evolve over time to include more locations, new purchasable items and additional mini-games. As usual, you’ll be the first to know about any updates here on the Insider.“

Will you be using Pottermore on PlayStation Home? Have you tried it out already today? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

03.24.13
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All ten teaser questions from Pottermore released

For the past ten days Pottermore has released a teaser question relating to the next installment of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. All of this was explained in an Insider post published two weeks ago.

Five days ago we updated you with the first half of the batch, and now here are the final five:

6) Who are these two figures, and what do you think they are running from in this detail from an upcoming Moment on Pottermore.com?

question6

Hint: These cronies think they’ve seen a ghost. If you’re still none the wiser, check Chapter Fourteen in your book.

7) For question two, use this audio clip from an upcoming Moment. What do you think it is?

Hint: Vote for what you think the cause of the sound is on the Insider. Is the cause of the sound someone falling in mud, a flickering torch flame, flobberworms wriggling, or someone unwrapping a Honeydukes sweet?

8) With the eight question, the teasers increased in difficulty. What do you think this could be? Where might you find it and why?

question8

Hint: These are described as resembling ‘brilliant watersnakes’ in the book. Still have no idea? Check Chapter Fourteen in the story.

9) The penultimate teaser question is one Pottermore describes as “decidedly difficult”. What do you think Harry is holding?

question9

Hint: Harry is left clutching this as Professor McGonagall leaves the common room. Still stuck? See Chapter Eleven in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

10) The final teaser is an interesting quest: Spot the ten differences between the two pictures. Are you eagle-eyed enough to identify them all?

question10

What do you think the answers are? Answer them in the comments below!

All images and audio clips courtesy of Pottermore.

 

03.19.13
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First five teaser questions from Pottermore…

Everyday for the past five days Pottermore has released a teaser question relating to the next installment of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. All of this was explained in an Insider post published last Thursday.

If you’ve missed them, here are the five questions and the hints that accompanied them:

1) Who or what is about to get the axe?

question01_403x403

Hint: It doesn’t grow in the ground or fly in the sky. If you still don’t know, take a look at Chapter Eight of the book.

2) For question two, use this audio clip from an upcoming Moment. Someone’s teeth are chattering, but what do you think they have eaten to make this happen?

Hint: Harry sees these on his first trip to Honeydukes. If you’re still stuck, take a look at Chapter Ten from the story.

3) The third question was a little more difficult than the previous two. A vicious assault has taken place, but who or what do you think has been attacked?

question03_403x403

Hint: This time he didn’t get in. If you’re still unsure, have a look at Chapter Eight in your book.

4) The following picture is a detail from an upcoming Moment on Pottermore.com. The question is, what is it?

question04_403x403

Hint: Vote for what you think the picture depicts on the Insider. Is it a ghost, snowman, statue, suit of armor, or painting?

5) For question five, use this audio clip from an upcoming Moment. It is “a noise [that will be heard] in the Great Hall in an upcoming Moment on Pottermore.com.” Who or what do you think is causing it?

Be sure to look out for the next five questions! They are released at 16:45 GMT (1:45pm EST) on the Insider and 17:00 GMT (2:00pm EST) on Twitter and Facebook.

What do you think the answers are? Answer them in the comments below!

All images and audio clips courtesy of Pottermore.

03.18.13
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Press Release: Pottermore Extends into Social Gaming Platform Playstation Home

The following is the press release announcing the extension of Pottermore into the social gaming platform Playstation Home.

POTTERMORE EXTENDS INTO SOCIAL GAMING PLATFORM PLAYSTATION®HOME

Pottermore from J.K. Rowling is delighted to announce a new way to experience more from the world of Harry Potter™, in the shape of Pottermore at PlayStation Home – Sony’s unique online gaming community for PlayStation 3. Pottermore’s latest innovation enables fans to step inside some of the most well-known locations from the Harry Potter stories and explore them as an avatar.

The first release of Pottermore at PlayStation Home, in April, will enable users to actually step inside Diagon Alley™ and board the Hogwarts™ Express. In these environments, they can experience the mayhem of Book Herding, test their knowledge with a Pottermore quiz, share and collect Pottermore Trading Cards, and take part in an illicit Wizard’s Duel in a re-working of the popular Pottermore.com mini-game. To immerse their avatar even more in the experience, users can purchase a companion from a choice of 14 owls, cats and toads, and shop for outfits from house robes to more casual wizard attire. For those who wish to link their Pottermore.com account with their PlayStation Network ID, additional interactive content and spaces will be accessible.

Pottermore and the development team at Sony have worked incredibly closely on this latest collaboration to ensure that the beautifully illustrated Moments on Pottermore.com were authentically transitioned into the virtual 3D gaming platform.

Charlie Redmayne, CEO of Pottermore comments: “Pottermore reaches across multiple digital platforms, and Sony’s partnership has allowed us to forge this exciting connection with PlayStation Home, creating the most immersive experience possible within that space and giving users wonderful new ways to explore locations from the Harry Potter stories. Following the successful launch of Wonderbook: Book of Spells, this is another example of the creative collaborations Pottermore is developing to bring the world of Harry Potter even more ingeniously to life.”

The Pottermore Insider has also released a trailer for the game. You can view it here. Read the full Insider announcement here.

03.14.13
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Pottermore teases the release of next installment of Prisoner of Azkaban

azkaban_act2_600x300[2]Pottermore announced today that they were gearing up for the next installment of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, including chapters eight through fifteen, with a teaser activity.

Starting tomorrow, Pottermore will be releasing a “Teaser Question” everyday for ten days. The questions will be released at 16:45 GMT (4:45 EST) on the Insider and 17:00 GMT (5:00 EST) on Pottermore’s Twitter and Facebook profiles.

From the Insider:

The next instalment of Chapters Eight to Fifteen promises even more mystery and intrigue, and in anticipation of this we’ve devised a series of audio and visual Teaser Questions based on details from the upcoming Moments on Pottermore.com.

Starting tomorrow, Friday March 15, a Teaser Question will be posted every day for the next ten days at 16:45 (GMT) on the Insider and at 17:00 (GMT) on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

These will increase in difficulty each time: some will challenge your attention to detail, some will require a good knowledge of the book, and some need only imagination and wild guesswork.

Pottermore also provided fans with several tips to help the clues:

One – things are not always what they seem in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and nor are they in our Teaser Questions.

Two – look out for hints here on the Insider, and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Three – get help or help others by joining the conversation and sharing your thoughts, whether in the Great Hall, your common room, or on our Facebook and Twitter pages. If you follow us on Twitter, you can use the hashtag #pmteasers.

Four – consult your copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to jog your memory or provide inspiration.

Be on the lookout for the questions! We’ll share them on here and our social network outlets so hopefully you won’t miss it!