Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment confirmed today that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game will ship globally next summer, coinciding with the release of the Warner Bros. Pictures release of the film of the same name, based on author J.K. Rowling's sixth Harry Potter book. The game, like the upcoming film, is meant to closely follow the story from the book. Players will return to Hogwarts and help harry survive his sixth year. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will also give players the opportunity to take part in wizards duels, create potions in class and compete in Quidditch matches.

“ The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince game will be an excellent interactive extension of the film and all of the new action that comes with it,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “EA is creating the Harry Potter video games that fans will love, and this game will deliver new gameplay elements and the magic players are looking forward to.”

Each version of the game will have its own unique qualities. As usual, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions will include high-definition graphics, the Nintendo DS version will likely include touch controls, and the Wii version will include various gesture based controls. Who knows, maybe we'll even see Wii MotionPlus compatibility, since that accessory is supposed to release in the spring.

“ We’re excited about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game in development and its high level of authenticity and playability,” said Robert Nashak, Vice President EA Casual Studios. “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.”

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is currently under development at EA's Bright Light Studio, the same team behind the previous Harry Potter video games, and will be releasing for Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, the mobile platform and both PC and Mac platforms.