Hogwarts Legacy is set to be the latest game in the Harry Potter video game series. The upcoming open-world RPG has been met with incredible hype for its premise, gameplay, and visuals since its announcement last September.

On the other hand, the game has also drawn its fair share of controversy. The lead designer for the Hogwarts Legacy, Troy Leavitt, has been facing criticism for Gamergate videos he had previously made for his YouTube channel. Many of his videos were espoused anti-feminist or pro-Gamergate views, and others defended accused sexual harassers. Gamergate was, for the uninitiated, a harassment campaign that targeted game developers Zoe Quinn and Brianna Wu, as well as media critic Anita Sarkeesian and other prominent women associated with the video games industry.

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A statement from one of Leavitt's 2018 videos has resurfaced where he addressed Warner Bros. Interactive's thoughts on his videos. He is quoted as saying: "Some of you have expressed that, due to my commentary on some game industry controversies and my sympathies for the Gamergate movement, that I might have a difficult time should I ever want to return to professional game development, I’m happy to say that, even though I disclosed my YouTube channel to WB Games, it didn’t appear to be an issue for them. Not that they endorse anything that I’ve said, of course, but at least they seem more concerned with making good games than with pushing some kind of a social justice agenda, so there is hope."

So from this, it's likely that Warner Bros. is aware of Leavitt's views and videos, but just doesn't care. This isn't the first time Warner Bros' has been indifferent to criticism directed towards people associated with Hogwarts Legacy. When asked by employees about the Harry Potter author's recent comments on Twitter disparaging transgender people, Warner Bros. Interactive Studio President David Haddad was quoted as saying that JK Rowling has a right to her opinions.

Leavitt's comments, and Warner Bros.' indifference to them are likely to leave Harry Potter fans even more divided over Hogwarts Legacy. While Leavitt won't be the only person working on the game, as lead designer he'll have a strong influence over the messaging and direction of the project. Fans might have reason to worry about how his views influence the final project.

On the other hand, when a large enough group gets together, it's inevitable that people with all sorts of viewpoints will be a part of it. If companies start firing people because they disagree with their opinions, that sets a bad precedent. Maybe it's just time to leave Harry Potter behind, or maybe fans should wait and see.

Hogwarts Legacy has been announced for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S for release in 2022.

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Source: Kotaku