Despite not having released yet Hogwarts Legacy, the latest game in the Harry Potter series has attracted its fair share of controversy. Controversy that has started to affect who wants to be associated with the game.
From the moment it was announced, there have been people who were unhappy with Hogwarts Legacy and its association with J.K. Rowling. While the developers have confirmed that Rowling is not going to have any input on the content of the game, there are a lot of people who still don't want to support it because J.K. Rowling has expressed anti-transgender viewpoints on her Twitter account. Even if she's not making the game, they don't want to support her views by buying it and giving her money.
RELATED: Why Harry Potter Fans Are Divided Over Hogwarts Legacy
These feelings only got more intense last week as Twitter user Liam Robertson uncovered that the Hogwarts Legacy lead designer Troy Leavitt had uploaded several videos to his YouTube account in the past supporting GamerGate and other far-right causes. In response to this new information, gaming forum ResetEra has banned all promotional discussion of the game.
This comes as the first time the forum has ever had a blanket ban on threads relating to a specific game. According to the moderator who posted the announcement, the ban covers any trailers, official announcement, hype threads, or fluff, allowing exceptions only for "major new developments about the controversy." He also left the possibility that an Official Thread might be posted for the game closer to launch in case "minority members want a space to discuss the game's contents where they will not be shouted down by bigots."
There's a reason so many once-dedicated fans are leaving Harry Potter behind, and refusing to support Hogwarts Legacy. They are passionate about not supporting bigots, harassers, and those who support them. Many transgender members of the forum and their allies are undoubtedly happy about this ban and that the moderators have said loud and clear that bigots have no place on their platform.
On the other hand, there is a good reason that some other people don't care what the developers or J.K. Rowling believe. Leavitt even claims that Warner Bros. Interactive does not care about his old videos. Of course, Leavitt and Rowling are not the only ones associated with the Harry Potter franchise. There undoubtedly people on the Hogwarts Legacy development staff who care deeply about transgender issues and supporting transgender individuals. There may even be people on the staff who are transgender. By refusing to support the game on principal, people are also refusing to support them.
Hogwarts Legacy has been announced for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S for release sometime in 2022.