Drawing from the widely popular franchise J.K. Rowling started with her first Harry Potter novel, Hogwarts Legacy is a game that partly distances itself from the Wizarding World's classic settings. Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the past, which could provide fans with the unique chance of experiencing a different world compared to that of the books and their movie adaptations. Still, the recently delayed game has been stirring multiple controversies since it was announced around Quidditch, the cost of Hogwarts Legacy's Collector's Edition, or J.K. Rowling's political views.
Rowling has been in the eye of the storm in recent years due to her repeated transphobic comments on social media, something that LGBTQIA+ individuals, and trans people specifically, highlighting even in the books and other Harry Potter-related media. Hogwarts Legacy was also associated with specifically antisemitic accusations when it was revealed that the main villains of the game were Goblins, a persecuted species in the Wizarding World that is being depicted as evil for wanting freedom. For these reasons, many are advocate for people to boycott Hogwarts Legacy ahead of launch.
Why Fans are Boycotting Hogwarts Legacy
Rowling's political opinions ended up tainting the franchise for thousands of ex-fans given she made comments regarding the rights and freedom of transgender people, and then doubled down after being reprimanded online. Actors from the Harry Potter saga started to speak up about the issue by stating that trans women are women and trans men are men, no matter what the person who started the franchise says. Many started to question the existence of Hogwarts Legacy as the expansion of a franchise that has been under fire, no matter how many developers try to distance themselves from Rowling.
In spite of Harry Potter's stories centering themes of liberation and affirmation, Rowling's views created rippling effects for seeming to advocate against the rights of certain individuals. Hogwarts Legacy's Goblin rebellion storyline has led to developers and Warner Bros. being similarly criticized. One of the main antagonists of the game is a powerful Goblin who can wield and use magic without a wand: Ranrok.
Goblins are not allowed to use wands in the Harry Potter universe, and they are closely watched over and subdued by the Ministry of Magic. Because of this, making Hogwarts Legacy about quelling a Goblin rebellion sparked a debate about whether the game should be supported for its racist-coded narrative combining with Rowling's views. People who are aware of the Rowling situation and the Goblin plot are advocating for players not to support the game in any capacity, even to support street-level developers who have already received paychecks for their work.
While it makes sense to try and boycott further IPs that belong to the Wizarding World, video games such as Hogwarts Legacy still have many fans excited regardless of the politics surrounding the original author of the Harry Potter series. The Harry Potter franchise has done good for millions of people, and actors like Daniel Radcliffe stated that those experiences should probably be separated from the author's views. Still, it's difficult when those views belong to a living individual who has the capacity to hurt those that believed in the magical world Hogwarts Legacy is trying to portray in a new light.
Hogwarts Legacy releases on February 10, 2023, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version also in development.