It was created in 2017 after WB had quietly begun to acquire studios for the label the previous year. Acquisitions included San Fransisco-based Niantic, the developers of Pokémon GO, and Salt Lake City-based Avalanche Software, the creators of Disney Infinity who were previously owned by Disney and temporarily shuttered until WB's acquisition after Disney's interactive entertainment division was restructured in March 2016.
At first, Portkey only released mobile games but its first major console and PC game called Hogwarts Legacy launched in 2023. All their games released are considered non-canon to the franchise at large. The developers are given freedom to tweak the universe as they see fit to tell the story they want to.
Games published by Portkey Games:
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (2018): Developed by Jam City for iOS and Android. It takes you through seven years at Hogwarts between 1984-1991 as you try to find the protagonist's missing brother, Jacob. The Player Character is completely customizable.
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (2019): A defunct Augmented Reality mobile game for iOS and Android developed by Niantic and sister studio WB San Fransisco. You took the role of an employee of the Ministry of Magic exploring the world to try to stop The Masquerade from being revealed.
- Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells (2020): A puzzle mobile game for iOS and Android.
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (2021): A mobile game for for iOS and Android that takes place ten years after the events of the series. It first launched in mainland China as a beta in 2020 before expanding to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan the following year. It was released to the rest of the world in 2023.
- Hogwarts Legacy (2023): An open world RPG set at Hogwarts during the late 19th century (1890-1891). You will fill the shoes of a student who started at Hogwarts late as a 5th year, who's connected to a powerful and ancient magic.
Tropes applying to the label at large:
- Alternate Continuity: The games are only "inspired by" the franchise and are not considered canon. The developers are given the freedom to tweak the universe as needed to tell the story they want to.
