Harry Potter rides broom to factory

If there's one way to stop a box-office slump in Hollywood, it's releasing another installment of a fun-for-all-ages franchise. The Harry Potter movies, based on the J.K. Rowling books, have never had problems filling the seats and selling popcorn.

With the inevitable blockbuster movie comes the obligatory blockbuster game based on it. Electronic Arts today announced that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth game based on the wizard wunderkind from the publisher, has gone gold and will ship November 8, four days before the film is released.

The game was developed by EA UK and will be available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PC, Game Boy Advance, and DS. A PSP version is scheduled to arrive in stores later in the month.

The Goblet of Fire will follow the storyline of the movie, with Harry being selected as a new competitor in the Triwizard Tournament. Throughout the game, Harry will battle in the Quidditch World Cup, come face-to-face with a dragon, and battle Lord Voldemort.

Characters will look like their silver-screen counterparts, a first for the series. In addition, not only will Harry's buddies Ron and Hermione be playable characters, but up to three gamers can plug in for cooperative play, dispensing spell combinations for even more potent sorcery.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older and sells for $39.99 on the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube, $34.99 on the DS, and $29.99 on the PC and GBA. For more info, check out GameSpot's recent hands-on with the game.