[4] Book of Spells is designed to be an interpretation of learning spells at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter universe,[5] with the "book" itself having been written in the Harry Potter universe over 200 years ago by Miranda Goshawk.

[4] At the end of each chapter, a poem will describe a failed Hogwarts student in order to teach the user a lesson in the manner of Aesop's fables.

If, however, the player has a Pottermore account, they can link it to the game, in which case the in-game choices will reflect those they made on the site.

To develop the game the Sony Computer Entertainment team worked with Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who described it as "the closest a Muggle can come to a real spellbook".

[3] Rowling had previously worked with Sony on her Pottermore website, and the company at one point had an exclusive contract to release Harry Potter e-books.