J.K. Rowling absolutely refuses to let the fantasy world move on from Hogwarts Legacy and the controversy her transphobia sparked as she is once again stirring up drama, this time via a freshly-announced podcast.
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling is set to release on Feb. 21, and early quotes from the podcast detail Rowling’s belief that people “profoundly” misunderstood her views on trans rights and identity, but fans are crying foul. Rowling’s continued campaign against trans people, and women in particular, certainly seems to discredit any claims of a misunderstanding and continues to cause massive damage to her properties. It’s having a similar effect to that of Justin Roiland on Rick and Morty, according to a show insider, and it weighs heavily on those who can’t help but be affiliated with their damaging reputations.
Through all the backlash and boycotts, some fans are finding plenty to love in Hogwarts Legacy. The game does many things wrong, but it also gets some things right, and we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t give it the credit it deserves.
Hogwarts Legacy nails the landing on one point, at least
Hogwarts Legacy is being accused of several problematic elements, including its representation of goblins — which, across Rowling’s works, have been linked to antisemitic depictions — and a trans character that some players feel was shoehorned into the story. Most importantly, Rowling’s attachment to the product led to widespread boycotts, but there are a few elements that the game manages to tackle perfectly. The game’s representation of far too regularly forgotten groups is surprisingly stellar, adding in consideration of accents and attire on top of skin tone. It deserves praise for its ability to seemingly effortlessly add to gaming’s slowly growing representation, despite its ties to Rowling.
Hogwarts Legacy backlash prompts comparisons to Rick and Morty
The pushback Hogwarts Legacy and, by extension, developer Avalanche Studios is facing is being compared to that experienced by the Rick and Morty team. The majority of the team working on the animated favorite has nothing to do with Justin Roiland or any of the terrible things he’s done, but the show is still tainted by his presence. The same can be said of Hogwarts Legacy and J.K. Rowling as the team at Avalanche continues to feel pressure and anger from her many detractors.
Fans aren’t here for J.K. Rowling’s claims of a misunderstanding
The Harry Potter author is set to cash in on all the controversy via an upcoming podcast, titled The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. Early teasers for the podcast see Rowling claiming her views on trans people were “profoundly” misunderstood by the public, but people aren’t convinced. After all, if she supported trans people all these years, why did she situate herself so firmly among trans-exclusionary radical feminists?