Hogwarts Legacyis set to be the latest game in theHarry Pottervideo game series. The upcoming open-world RPG has been met with incredible hype for its premise, gameplay, and visuals since its announcement last September.
On the other hand, the game has also drawn its fair share of controversy. The lead designer for theHogwarts Legacy, Troy Leavitt, has been facingcriticism for Gamergate videoshe had previously made for his YouTube channel. Many of his videos were espoused anti-feminist or pro-Gamergate views, and others defended accused sexual harassers. Gamergate was, for the uninitiated, a harassment campaign that targeted game developers Zoe Quinn and Brianna Wu, as well as media critic Anita Sarkeesian and other prominent women associated with the video games industry.
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A statement from one of Leavitt’s 2018 videos has resurfaced where he addressed Warner Bros. Interactive’s thoughts on his videos. He is quoted as saying: “Some of you have expressed that, due to my commentary on some game industry controversies and my sympathies for the Gamergate movement, that I might have a difficult time should I ever want to return to professional game development, I’m happy to say that, even though I disclosed my YouTube channel to WB Games, it didn’t appear to be an issue for them. Not that they endorse anything that I’ve said, of course, but at least they seem more concerned with making good games than with pushing some kind of a social justice agenda, so there is hope.”
So from this, it’s likely that Warner Bros. is aware of Leavitt’s views and videos, but just doesn’t care. This isn’t the first time Warner Bros' has been indifferent to criticism directed towards people associated withHogwarts Legacy. When asked by employees about theHarry Potterauthor’s recent comments on Twitter disparaging transgender people, Warner Bros. Interactive Studio President David Haddad was quoted assaying that JK Rowling has a right to her opinions.
Leavitt’s comments, and Warner Bros.' indifference to them are likely to leaveHarry Potterfans even more divided overHogwarts Legacy. While Leavitt won’t be the only person working on the game, as lead designer he’ll have a strong influence over the messaging and direction of the project. Fans might have reason to worry about how his views influence the final project.
On the other hand, when a large enough group gets together, it’s inevitable that people with all sorts of viewpoints will be a part of it. If companies start firing people because they disagree with their opinions, that sets a bad precedent. Maybe it’s justtime to leaveHarry Potterbehind, or maybe fans should wait and see.
Hogwarts Legacyhas been announced for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S for release in 2022.
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