While Hogwarts Legacy has been receiving largely positive feedback from critics and players, the larger Wizarding World's attachment to the universe's creator J. K. Rowling has been enough to keep some from picking up the game, and it appears this sentiment extends to members of the game's development team. Rowling's history of transphobic rhetoric has been a shadow looming over the game's release, standing opposite the general excitement from many looking to sink their teeth into the game and live out their wizard fantasies. It is a shadow that has proven enough, though, for a member of the game's motion capture team to avoid picking up the game.Hogwarts Legacy is the newest game set in the magical world of Harry Potter, taking place at the famed wizardry school roughly a century before the boy who lived entered its halls. Players come to the school as a new student entering the school as a fifth year who must navigate their courses and castle grounds with the aid of their wizard's field guide. The new student will also be tasked with unlocking the secrets of a mysterious magic only a few, including the student, are capable of wielding and could cause chaos in the magical community.RELATED: Hogwarts Legacy is Already the Biggest WB Games Launch on SteamA game the size of Hogwarts Legacy meant it had a sizeable team working on it as its credits showed, among those names being a motion capture technician named Parker Hartzler. Following the game's release, Hartzler took to Twitter to touch on the work he did before saying he did not plan on buying the game. He said he felt not supporting a product based on Rowling's Wizarding World was "the least" he could do as an ally of the trans community.

Hartzler speaks further on it in subsequent tweets, saying he feels someone like Rowling doesn't deserve to "grow and prosper" while spreading hateful rhetoric about the trans community. He admits he understands he is likely to face some backlash from other users for his decision, whether it be users saying they don't care about his opinion or calling him a hypocrite for working on the game. Hartzler also answered users asking why he didn't get a copy of the game for his work on it, which was due to him being part of a team WB Games and Avalanche outsourced work to and were not part of Avanlache's core teams.

Hartzler's stance on the game is emblematic of how Rowling's rhetoric and beliefs have seemingly soured many on the Wizarding World in recent years due to its links to the author. It also reflects the future difficulties of any projects set within the Harry Potter universe, a notion reinforced by stars such as Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson speaking out against Rowling despite their attachment to the films. It remains to be seen, though, if or how these difficulties could ultimately manifest and the impact they could have on Rowling.

Hogwarts Legacy is currently available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S and is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 4, 2023, and for Nintendo Switch on July 25, 2023.

MORE: Hogwarts Legacy: How to Get All 3 Unforgivable Curses (Avada Kedavra, Crucio, and Imperio)