Harry Potter Game Set for Delay?

On Thursday, Hollywood studio Warner Bros. announced that it had pushed the release of the feature film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from its previously scheduled November debut to July of next year, a delay of more than six months.

Publisher Electronic Arts, meanwhile, has been underway with videogame adaptations of Half-Blood Prince for everything from Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to DS and PSP, all previously set to launch alongside the movie this November. However, such an event is looking far less likely in light of Warner's new movie date.

We asked Electronic Arts if Half-Blood Prince for videogame consoles and handhelds would be pushed alongside the movie and a spokesperson for the company offered only a cryptic response. "We are making a great game that Harry Potter fans will really enjoy -- we are evaluating the impact of the movie date change," the rep said. Pressed on the issue, EA's spokesperson offered no further comment.

As we understand it, EA now faces two hurdles if it still intends to ship Half-Blood Prince this November. First, it'll be a game without a movie, a licensing faux pas that software publishers try to avoid at all costs. And second, EA's title may feature content from the movie that the publisher could be contractually obligated to keep secret until the film itself debuts, thereby forcing the software giant to remove the content or sit tight with its Potter games until next July.

We will continue to monitor the story and update readers with any developments.

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