Gamers have called for a boycott of a new Harry Potter release because of JK Rowling’s stance on trans issues.
Hogwarts Legacy is to go on sale on February 10 but the lead up of its release has been marked by attempts to censor the product.
A prominent online forum has banned discussion on the game, voice actors involved have faced backlash, a business has even been accused of sacking an employee for supporting the project.
Members of the trans community have urged people not to buy the game
Ian West
The game’s website states that “JK Rowling is not involved in the creation of the game” but that her team collaborated in its making.
However, the game has faced criticism from voices in the transgender community.
Jessie Earl, 30, a trans YouTuber and journalist who has 200,000 subscribers, attacked Rowling when she tweeted that “any support of something like Hogwarts Legacy is harmful”.
Another gamer, Will Overgard has called for a complete boycott and in a video viewed two million times, he argued that “by supporting the title you are essentially aligning yourself with some really heinous transphobic values”.
British actor Sebastian Croft, who features in the LGBT Netflix series Heartstopper, was forced to clarify his involvement following a backlash.
He said: “I was cast in this project over three years ago, back when all Harry Potter was to me was the magical world I grew up with.
“This was long before I was aware of JK Rowling’s views. I believe wholeheartedly that trans women are women and trans men are men.”
Leading gaming forum, ResetEra has also banned the discussion of the game, as it accused Rowling of “pushing transphobic legislation”.
Actor Sebastian Croft was forced to clarify his involvement in the game
Ian West
Kara Lynne, a community manager at the American company Limited Run Games believes she was fired because she tweeted that she was looking forward to Hogwarts Legacy.
A trans activist then accused her of being a transphobe for following right-leaning accounts including Libs of TikTok, which is led by free speech campaigners for its critical stance on trans issues.
Lynne was fired after an investigation by her employer.
“There is a huge, huge discourse going on in the gaming sphere in which a lot of people are saying, ‘If you support this game in any way, you’re also supporting JK Rowling’, she told National Review.
“I have this feeling that this is kind of where it stemmed from.”
Warner Bros Games says it has created the role-playing game to be “inclusive” with the ability for players to become trans wizards and witches.
Alan Tew, the game’s director, told the IGN website: “We know it’s a diverse audience. For us, it’s making sure that the audience who always dreamt of having this game had the opportunity to feel welcomed back.”
