A couple of days ago, Sony hosted another PS5 event that turned out to be a pretty big day for the video game community. Not only did Sony finally revealed the price and release date of the PS5, but the company’s event also provided updates on upcoming games and announcement of new titles, such as the long-rumored Harry Potter RPG, which is now officially titled as Hogwarts Legacy.
Immediately after Hogwarts Legacy’s announcement, fans of the Wizarding World roared in excitement, with many expressing how their dream Harry Potter game is finally being made. In the debut trailer, it has been revealed that Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG game set in the late 1800s that will allow players to create their own witch or wizard, study magic at Hogwarts, and explore popular locations such as Hogsmead and other areas beyond the prestigious magic school. However, not all supported Hogwarts Legacy, especially since Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is currently at the center of a controversial issue.
After making controversial comments that were widely viewed as transphobic in nature, some Harry Potter fans are now referring to J.K. Rowling as “she who must not be named.” Of course, this is a play of the term “he who must not be named,” which was coined by Rowling herself as a moniker for Voldemort, the primary villain of the Harry Potter franchise. Shortly after Hogwarts Legacy’s announcement, some people went on Twitter to incite a boycott of the game, due to J.K. Rowling’s stance on the trans community.
All across Twitter, players aired out their disapproval of the game, citing that they won’t be supporting J.K. Rowling in any form. There are even those who revealed that they won’t be purchasing the game if J.K. Rowling will profit from it. However, there are also those players who were torn on whether to purchase the game or not. According to some, Hogwarts Legacy has been the game they were dreaming of ever since they were children. However, many of these Harry Potter fans are strongly against J.K. Rowling’s views on the trans community, which is why they are having a hard time on whether to purchase the upcoming game or not. At the other end of the spectrum, some fans even expressed that the developers of the game should not be punished for the actions and words of J.K. Rowling, who has little to no input in Hogwarts Legacy.
As of this writing, Hogwarts Legacy’s publisher Warner Bros. Interactive and developer Avalanche Studios haven’t addressed the ongoing backlash against J.K. Rowling. However, several news outlets reported prior to the game’s announcement that developers within the studio are growing anxious about how the controversy surrounding Rowling would affect fan support for the upcoming game. Of course, even if the initial reception for Hogwarts Legacy is mostly-positive, one couldn’t ignore that the number of fans who will support the game continues to diminish as the issue with author continues.
Although the developers still hasn’t addressed the controversy directly, the FAQ page for Hogwarts Legacy is a clear hint that the studio is distancing themselves from author J.K. Rowling. In the FAQ, it has been revealed that “J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World. This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.” Of course, it is worth remembering that Hogwarts Legacy is set in the late 1800s, which means that most of Rowling’s characters in the Harry Potter books will not be appearing in the game.
However, it should be noted that the lore the game will follow is based on everything established by Rowling in her Harry Potter series. Of course, while Rowling herself may not be involved in the creation of the game, she still stands to profit from it somehow, either through an upfront payment for the licensing of her copyright or through royalties from any income Warner Bros. receive from Hogwarts Legacy. This is one of the primary reasons why many are hesitant to support Hogwarts Legacy, given that many feel that by supporting the game financially, they will also be supporting Rowling indirectly, which many are finding hard to accept given her controversial statements.
Hogwarts Legacy is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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