Hogwarts Legacy
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has become the most prominent face and voice in the world of anti-trans rhetoric, where she spends all day on Twitter sparring with critics and activists. Now, she’s gone after a prominent trans gamer for her thoughts on whether or not supporting an upcoming Harry Potter project like Hogwarts Legacy, the sprawling video game, is harmful because of this author’s views.
Rowling posted the following tweet, tagging Jessie Earl, accusing her of “purethink”:
Earl’s argument was actually that no you don’t need to burn the books or movies you already own, that may have comforted you long before Rowling’s recent turn, but now, buying something new like Hogwarts Legacy is knowingly supporting her directly.
WB and Portkey games have been trying to walk a fine line, saying that Rowling is not involved in the making of the upcoming game. And yet it’s obviously her world, and yes, she will be earning money from sales of the game, which as of now, are looking to be pretty massive, pushback aside, given that many people are simply excited to play what looks to be a sprawling, detailed Harry Potter game, and are content to ignore the views of the author.
Jessie is arguing you should not do that, and this is the subject of much debate in the industry right now, how Hogwarts Legacy should be covered or not covered in the wake of Rowling’s constant anti-trans rhetoric. But while to this point Rowling has not brought up Hogwarts Legacy itself much at all, these comments and the targeting of Jessie specifically will only add fuel to the fire and probably serve to reinforce the trans community’s argument to boycott the game. Rowling’s claim that the game is just “ANYTHING connected with her” is disingenuous. While we don’t know the exact terms of Hogwarts Legacy royalties, if that game is a huge hit, it is obviously going to make her a significant amount of money. Her comments about how this is the same thing as burning “anything with an owl on it and their own pet dogs” are clearly hyperbolic and leaps of logic that are not terribly coherent.
Hogwarts Legacy is due out on February 10, 2023, after a number of delays, and at least on the surface, it really does look like a Harry Potter fan’s dream. But those same fans have to reckon with Rowling who is now actively weighing into the “should you buy/play Hogwarts Legacy?” debate, and making a pretty good case that maybe no, you shouldn’t.
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