Among the slew of fantasy games in 2023 which include Forspoken and Final Fantasy 16, gamers are also looking forward to Hogwarts Legacy. It appears to be an extremely immersive open-world game that has gamers playing as fifth-year students in Hogwarts. Although Hogwarts Legacy is highly anticipated, it has had to battle many controversies, and it seems like new ones keep popping up.
The forum ResetEra has banned discussion around the game due to J.K. Rowling's transphobic comments. This comes amid calls for the game to be boycotted. Although the game has plenty going against it, pre-order numbers suggest it may have an explosive launch.
ResetEra's Ban on Hogwarts Legacy Discussions
Harry Potter is a franchise that has gained itself a large and loyal fan base. It is a staple of many people's childhoods, as the novels feature lessons about friendship, tolerance, and love. The franchise's wholesome image has been tainted by its creator, J.K. Rowling. Many comments and statements she has made publicly have caused outrage and triggered accusations of transphobia. In her defense, Rowling has claimed that she encourages people to "live your best life in peace and security," and that her main issue lies with the safety of women. However, her actions and words do not help her case much.
Rowling's Twitter page is currently a collage of transphobic Tweets, with occasional moments spent mocking transpeople, including a YouTuber who was discussing the morality surrounding purchasing Hogwarts Legacy. Although the game's developers have tried to distance the game from Rowling, that has become exceedingly difficult because of the author's actions online. In response, there have been calls to boycott Hogwarts Legacy, and some have argued that giving support to the game would only amplify Rowling's voice, which she uses to spread transphobia.
ResetEra, which is a popular online gaming forum, has recently taken the drastic step of banning all Hogwarts Legacy conversations. This decision was not taken lightly, and the announcement post explains that the author "uses the influence and money gained from her success with Harry Potter to push transphobic legislation." Banning conversation on the game is the site's way of not contributing to this. Avalanche Software is well aware of all the controversy caused by Rowling, and the game's director, Alan Tew, stated that the developers are focused on making a game that is welcoming to their entire diverse audience.
Hogwarts Legacy Has Faced Many Road Bumps
Rowling's transphobic rants would be enough of an issue for any game to deal with, but that hasn't been the only issue plaguing Hogwarts Legacy. The game also angered gamers when it was announced that all the versions will not be released on the same day. Instead, PC and current-gen versions will launch in February, on PS4 and Xbox One in April, and the Switch version will only hit shelves in late July. Understandably, some players on last-gen consoles canceled their Hogwarts Legacy pre-orders, as it would be difficult to go two months without being exposed to spoilers, especially with a game this big.
It was also a huge disappointment to fans when it was revealed that Quidditch will not be available. Although it has never been explained why, the absence of Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy may be yet another attempt to put distance between the game and Rowling. This was also done by the International Quadball Association, which now avoids the word Quidditch to distance itself from Rowling. Nevertheless, flying broomsticks will be present in the game, and players will be able to partake in broomstick races.
Despite all these hurdles, Hogwarts Legacy looks like it is headed for a successful launch. It has been topping the Steam chart on pre-orders alone, and it is already one of the top PS5 games on Amazon weeks away from its release. Though the road to release day has been rocky, the magical game could be one of the bestselling titles of 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release on February 10, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, on April 4 on PS4 and Xbox One, and on July 25 on Nintendo Switch.