Players are currently enjoying the early access period of Hogwarts Legacy, and tomorrow the game will launch properly. But if you’ve been on the internet in any capacity, you’ll be aware that the Hogwarts Legacy remains a controversial topic, largely thanks to the views of the universe’s creator, JK Rowling.
Now, the developers at Hogwarts Legacy have assured fans that Rowling has no connection to the game and work on it, but considering that it uses the IP created by her, and therefore she will profit from it, this does not exactly stopped a good amount of rebounds coming the game’s way. There are a number of reasons why the Hogwarts Legacy controversy has persisted, and for those who aren’t exactly privy to the conversation, it can be confusing to understand why the internet feels so divided.
The first and foremost reason some have called for a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy is JK Rowling’s anti-trans views. Again, although unrelated to the development of the game, many have argued that supporting her IP through purchasing Hogwarts Legacy also supports the author herself. This has led to the trans community in particular urging people not to play the game.
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Recently, it was discovered that Hogwarts Legacy has indeed introduced a trans character, marking a first for the Harry Potter universe. While some have argued that this is a strong step forward for the franchise, it has been reported that the developers only included this character to steer the conversation away from Rowling and her controversial views. Even with this character, there’s the argument that Hogwarts Legacy can’t just throw in a transgender person and then cash in on the IP connections with the creator and her views. Essentially, through association with the wizarding world, the Hogwarts Legacy, either indirectly or directly, aligns itself with the person behind it.
Another reason why the game has landed in hot water is through the critical reception it has received. For the most part, Hogwarts Legacy has been very well reviewed. Some expected it to review bombed due to the aforementioned controversy. With these positive reviews, some criticism has surfaced online claiming that there is something of a bias among these reviewers due to their fondness for the Harry Potter series.
In the past, other concerns have been raised that relate more directly to Hogwarts Legacy’s content. With the story focused around the Goblin Rebellion of 1890, some were concerned that it might take on some anti-Semitic undertones due to Rowling’s depiction of goblins in the Harry Potter universe. While this has been a concern, the reasons for boycotting the game are still largely limited to the connections with JK Rowling and the profit it will make the author as she owns the rights to the wizarding world.
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Concerns about Rowling’s views on the trans community first surfaced in 2018, and her stance was clarified in 2020 after a 3,000-word essay outlining her concerns with trans activism. Since then, anything and everything Harry Potter-related has been at the center of an ongoing storm of controversy, and it appears that Hogwarts Legacy is the latest medium to find itself in hot water over Rowling’s views.
Currently, people are boycotting Hogwarts Legacy by refusing to buy, play or support the game. There have been some more organized efforts now that the game is playable, such as streamers banding together to not broadcast the game, and there have also been bans on discussion of JK Rowling on the game’s subreddit and forums on Resetera. It has been claimed by mods of the Hogwarts Legacy’s subreddit that discussing JK Rowling only leads to toxicity, and so mentioning the author has been banned. It’s clear that no matter which side of the debate you’re on, this is a controversial topic that has sparked a number of interesting debates online about the games we play and the people we support by playing them.
