The highly anticipated video game “Hogwarts Legacy” is set to be released on Friday, however, the Harry Potter franchise is facing criticism from some LGBTQ activists due to the views of author JK Rowling. The Scottish writer has been receiving threats and controversy since she publicly took issue in 2020 with the trans-inclusive phrase “people who menstruate” being used instead of the word “women”. Despite the backlash, pre-orders of the game have put it at the top of the sales charts.
Will Overgard, a Seattle-based gamer and streamer, called on his followers not to buy the game, saying, “It’s not that this particular title has reprehensible things in it, it’s that supporting this title says ‘A-okay’ to some very, very, very questionable personal stances from (JK Rowling).” Some specialist news sites, such as TheGamer in Canada, are refusing to cover the release, but have stopped short of calling for a boycott.
The game has been garnering rave reviews, with French entrepreneur Quentin Seigneur describing it as a mix of Harry Potter’s universe and the “Grand Theft Auto” video game franchise. He said, “We’ll finally be the wizard we’ve all dreamt of being.” Alan Tew, the game’s director, said it would be possible to choose gender in the game and that it would feature a trans character.
Despite the controversy, sales of the Harry Potter books and films have not been affected. Kyle Thomas, who read the first book 20 years ago, said, “I still listen to the audiobook every year, it’s still my favourite book.” LGBTQ gamers in the United States are split on the issue, with some wanting full-on boycotts and some thinking of buying the game second-hand.
The highly anticipated video game “Hogwarts Legacy” is set to be released on Friday, however, the Harry Potter franchise is facing criticism from some LGBTQ activists due to the views of author JK Rowling. Despite the backlash, pre-orders of the game have put it at the top of the sales charts and it has been garnering rave reviews. Will Overgard, a Seattle-based gamer and streamer, called on his followers not to buy the game and some specialist news sites are refusing to cover the release. Alan Tew, the game’s director, said it would be possible to choose gender in the game and that it would feature a trans character. LGBTQ gamers in the United States are split on the issue, with some wanting full-on boycotts and some thinking of buying the game second-hand. Despite the controversy, sales of the Harry Potter books and films have not been affected.
