Magic and Transmedia

From an idea that started back in 1990 while waiting for a delayed train from Manchester to London to over 450 million copies sold across 67 languages, 7 film and game adaptations and over 15 billion dollars-worth merchandise; I'm talking about the magical world of Harry Potter.
The famous wizard and his world has surely been one my all time favourite stories and not long ago the author J.K. Rowling decided to expand this universe even more: Pottermore.


In the past, Rowling refused to publish the saga as e-books fearing piracy but it is now that she decided to distribute a digital edition along with an online experience that involves a point of meeting for fans all over the world, games, an official encyclopaedia  competitions and even readings by Steven Fry. This dream land for the fans explores over 18,000 words that the Rowling wrote describing characters, locations, objects and magic in detail.
The website can be considered as an MMO experience that revolves around the most important element of a transmedia success: the unification of a huge community in direct interaction with the author of the universe.

I remember trying it for a bit when it was first launched and it was quite a nice to go back to the beginning of the story and see all the special features while surfing around the beautiful artwork done by the New Castle-based-company Atomhawk.