‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Leaves Some Gamers Conflicted Over Rowling’s Trans Views
Some fans are struggling to reconcile the author’s comments with a desire to immerse themselves in the best-reviewed Harry Potter game ever
Harry Potter fans have been waiting more than a decade for a video game worthy of the blockbuster entertainment franchise’s dedicated following. They’ve dreamed of being able to inhabit a realistic version of the famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sipping butterbeers at the Gryffindor dormitory in between jaunts to the nearby village of Hogsmeade.
That vision will become a reality on Friday when Hogwarts Legacy is released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game is one of the most highly anticipated of 2023 and if pre-orders are any indication, it will likely be one of the most profitable, too. But the views about transgender people espoused by J.K. Rowling, the author of the original book series, have cast a shadow over the launch and left some longtime fans wondering whether they’ll even play it. Many say they’ve struggled to reconcile their love of the fantasy world to which they’ve become so attached with the real-world politics of its creator.