n a move no-doubt intended to capitalize on a summer of Harry Potter hype, EA and Warner Brothers Interactive confirmed today that they are pushing back the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to coincide with the theatrical release next summer. Considering that every Harry Potter fanatic worldwide has already read the sixth entry in the series, we all know that the decision was not made in order to prevent big-screen spoilers months before the movie releases.

In fact, the release sent out by EA and Warner managed to dance around the little detail that the announcement was, in reality, a delay. Instead they played up the fact that the two media forms will complement each other well during the global release summer of 2009.

“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.

“We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with EA in collaborating on the videogames for all of the Harry Potter films,” said Harry Potter film Producer David Heyman. “The visual look of the game for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is incredibly authentic to the film and will provide a truly compelling experience for everyone who plays.”

Originally, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince was intended to hit retail shelves this November. Now, you can look for the game next summer on the Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS, PC, Mac and mobile devices. We think the marketing team knows what they are doing.