WB Games gave Harry Potter fans a 14-minute State of Play presentation on the franchise’s upcoming single-player RPG, Hogwarts Legacy which was initially rumoured to be delayed next year but is in fact coming this holiday.
Generally speaking, Hogwarts Legacy looks like a Harry Potter dream game but is definitely separate from the story of Daniel Radcliffe’s portrayal of ‘The Boy Who Lived’ in the titular movie series from 2001 to 2011. The reason is the game’s story takes place in the late 1800s, which means characters from the series will likely not be in the game but Nearly Headless Nick is featured during the presentation.
Dumbledore has a chance of making an appearance in Hogwarts Legacy as he was born in 1881 and was a student at Hogwarts starting in the fall semester of 1892, which means Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort will definitely not be in the game.
Hogwarts Legacy players will be put into the shoes of a new student in their fifth year. The game will allow customizing your character to what you’re comfortable with, even allowing a transgender option. Your character is very special as they have the unique ability to manipulate powerful ancient magic hidden in the wizarding world. As you explore Hogwarts, you will uncover the secrets behind the return of a once-forgotten magic and those who plan to use it for their own gain by destroying all wizardkind.
While a little more mature than the average first year, but equally inexperienced as the freshman, players will have to catch up to the other fifth-years by taking classes like Beasts, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology and Potions. At the beginning of the game you will choose which of Hogwarts’ prestigious four houses you’ll be sorted into, players will have the choice between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
While the game looks fantastic, it’s time to acknowledge the elephant in the room that is J.K Rowling and her anti-trans position. The game’s official announcement back in 2020 sparked a debate between fans, the first being not supporting anything pertaining to the Harry Potter that the author is financially benefiting from. The other side is removing the creator from the universe as JK Rowling has nothing to do with the game as far as writing with developer, Avalanche Software has been working hard to develop their own unique story, so fans can still enjoy the game.
It’s hard to balance for sure and fans like myself are facing a moral dilemma as it’s hard to separate the two. On one side the game is doing a great job to separate itself from the author’s original story and the Fantastic Beasts films. On the other, the game has the author’s blessing which she will profit from. Behind the scenes a very nervous Warner Bros. and the thousands of people who’ve worked on many Harry Potter projects do not share their views, even actors who played her characters in the original series have spoken against Rowling’s views.
There isn’t really an answer on what to do, to learn more on the subject definitely check out Gamespot’s Jessie Earl’s fantastic and knowledgeable ‘JK Rowling’s Anti-Transgender Stance And Hogwarts Legacy‘ editorial. It goes really in-depth on the whole situation between the author and Hogwarts Legacy, plus what you can do to support transgender causes like National Center for Transgender Equality or the Transgender Law Center and educate yourself more on transgender issues.
