Several weeks ago, Warner Bros. Interactive shocked the video game community when it announced Hogwarts Legacy, which is the long-rumored open-world RPG game that is set in the universe of the Harry Potter franchise. Of course, fans were ecstatic with the announcement with some fans saying that Hogwarts Legacy is the game that they have always dreamed of as a child.
However, immediately after the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy, the game soon found itself in hot water with some people calling for a complete boycott of Hogwarts Legacy, due to its link to the Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling. To those unfamiliar, J.K. Rowling is currently at the center of a controversy, after making several comments on social media that many see as transphobic in nature. Due to Rowling's controversial statements, supporters of the trans community and some Harry Potter fans started a campaign to boycott anything associated with Rowling, which includes books, movies, and even video games.
Due to the issue surrounding Rowling, some Harry Potter fans are now divided on whether to support the upcoming game or not. While many fans disagree with Rowling's views on the trans community, some do not agree with the call to boycott the game given that the developers did nothing wrong. Up until this moment, fans were waiting on how Warner Bros. Interactive would react to the Rowling issue, with some Harry Potter fans saying that they won't support the game unless the developers make a public condemnation of Rowling's views. Now, it appears that Warner Bros. Interactive has broken its silence, with the studio's President saying that Rowling is entitled to her opinions.
According to a tweet from Bloomberg's Jason Schrier, Warner Bros. Games David Haddad responded to questions raised by employees regarding the effect of Rowling's reputation on Hogwarts Legacy. Haddad responded that since J.K. Rowling is also a private citizen, she has the right to express her personal opinions on social media. To clarify, Haddad also revealed that while he does not agree with her comments on social media, he believes that Rowling has "the right to hold her opinions."
Based on the statement released by the studio's president, it is clear that the company is trying to distance itself from the Harry Potter author, without insulting her directly. It is worth remembering that in the Q&A section of Hogwarts Legacy, Warner Bros. Interactive clarified that Rowling has no direct involvement in the game, and its story is an original one. However, despite taking place in a timeline well before Harry Potter, Hogwarts Legacy is still based on the established lore of the Wizarding World authored by J.K. Rowling herself.
Hogwarts Legacy will release in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.