We have some sympathy for the developers over at Avalanche Studios. In the mid-2010s it scored the license for Harry Potter, one of the hottest properties in entertainment history, and set out to create the dream game for fans. Hogwarts Legacy gives players their very own invitation to the magical school and an opportunity to chart their own course through the Wizarding World.
Unfortunately, the reputation of Harry Potter and its creator J.K. Rowling aren’t what they were when development began. Rowling is now notorious for making herself an enemy of the trans community, the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise is in tatters, and there’s a very public boycott underway against Hogwarts Legacy as – quite understandably – buying it puts money in the pocket of a woman with deeply questionable views.
A taste of what’s coming when the game finally releases can already be seen on the game’s Steam Store page, with it having been tagged with “transphobia” and “transphobic” labels: