The biggest video game release of the year is under fire from an intense controversy tearing Twitter and Reddit. So should we buy Hogwarts Legacy or not?
[Mis à jour le 3 février à 16h10] Hogwarts Legacy is likely to be remembered as one of the most controversial releases in video game history. The one who was promoted to a grandiose future sees his exit marred by controversies tearing Twitter and Reddit. Still, the promise of Hogwarts Legacy is great, bringing tens of millions of Harry Potter fans to the first big-budget open-world in its history. But nothing helps, this new release, available in a few days, continues to be talked about, and unfortunately not only on its video game nature.
Many calls for a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy
Expected to be one of the most important games of the past three years, Hogwarts Legacy is off to a rocky start. The game is the source of intense debate on social media, dividing gamers into two clear categories. Some are calling for his complete boycott while others are calling his purchase the standard-bearer of anti-woke culture. Two excessively noisy clans in permanent confrontation on Twitter and Reddit. But why and how can an open-world RPG be so divisive?
To understand this situation, you have to know that the many calls for a boycott of the RPG from Warner Bros. Games have their origin in the growing unpopularity of JK Rowling, the billionaire author behind the famous Harry Potter books. The latter has indeed adopted controversial positions on transgender people through questionable tweets for a few years. She has thus drawn the wrath of various LGBTQIA + communities pointing to her remarks as transphobic, and the applause of various anti-woke groups and personalities (including none other than Vladimir Poutin) who have made it, often against his will, a icon against the “cancel-culture”. JK’s various nauseous outings Rowling on Twitter have also pushed a majority of the actors of the Harry Potter films (including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) to express their support for LGBTQIA+ communities and to distance themselves from the British author.
And in the collateral damage of this uphill struggle is Hogwarts Legacy, unfortunately for Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software. This next release is considered too connivent with JK Rowling by some of the groups detracting from the author, who associate her purchase with open support for transphobic and homophobic ideas and massively call for her boycott. An outrage that pushed Warner Bros. Games to break away from Rowling and say:
“JK Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, although her extraordinary body of writing forms the foundation of all Wizarding World projects. We even add that it will be possible, in Hogwarts Legacy, to use inclusive options, allowing the creation of trans characters. We’re going to stay focused on the game we’ve built and the great work of studio Avalanche. We want everyone who loves the Harry Potter universe to love these stories and characters.“
A position that has failed to ease the tensions that still tear Twitter and Reddit today, since many voices are still calling on players not to buy Hogwarts Legacy. They also point to another thorny subject: the links between the goblins of the wizarding world, the game’s main antagonists, and anti-Semitic caricatures. While JK Rowling’s stance on this uncomfortable second topic remains unknown, her open transphobia and suspicion of anti-Semitism are many reasons enough to call for a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy, despite the inclusion of transgender options in the game’s character creation system.
This is what prompted the famous video game discussion forum ResetEra to ban any conversation oriented around the game. The site expressed itself by affirming that it did not wish to contribute to the fact that JK Rowling “uses its money and influence to promote transphobic ideas and legislation.“A small slap in the face for Hogwarts Legacy, which is deprived of one of the largest discussion forums on the net, and further proof of the harmful influence of the British author’s remarks, which have moreover redoubled their virulence at approaching the release of the game.
For many players, on the other hand, it is unjustified to forge links between the pathetic outings of a billionaire author on Twitter, particularly on issues far beyond her area of relevance, and the work of a studio dedicated to providing an immersive experience. to millions of fans. It is also out of the question to see the purchase of the game as the adoption of a political or social stance, whether transphobic or anti “cancel culture”.
Ultimately, for the silent majority, it’s all about video games and the love of a magical franchise. But beware, just like cinema, video games are a relevant means of political and social expression. It should just be noted that this is an aspect of which Hogwarts Legacy, in its words, seems fundamentally devoid. Finally, it must be added that it is true that, in one way or another, the financial success of Hogwarts Legacy benefits and will benefit JK Rowling. And it is perfectly legitimate not to want to endorse the enrichment of this infrequent billionaire.
In short, in a perfect world, everyone does as they wish without looking at what their neighbor is doing. Hogwarts Legacy is, after all, a single-player game.
While prancing for several weeks at the top of sales on the PC game platform Steam, Hogwarts Legacy is still and always at the heart of an intense controversy. Following calls for a boycott due to JK Rowling’s more than dubious positions on transgender issues, many PC users of the platform attacked Hogwarts Legacy by trying to submit it to a “review-bombing” even before its release. As a reminder, “review-bombing” is a practice consisting of a massive influx of negative reviews on a game’s page aimed at discouraging potential undecided buyers. Except that this exercise is only possible when the Steam rating system is open to the public, ie after the release of a game.
That’s why critics of Hogwarts Legacy have used a completely different method in recent days, employing the principle of “tags”, these little adjectives that allow Steam to list games according to their content, whether they are range from the simple mentions “FPS” “Multiplayer” “Open-world”, to the more complex “Gore”, “Horror” or even “Genocide simulator”. And you will have understood, the detractors of Hogwarts Legacy, firmly determined to prevent its success, have been relentless in applying extremely unsavory “tags” to the future release of Warner Bros. Games. “World War II”, “NSFW”, “Genocide Simulator”, the attempts at negative labeling have been numerous, prompting Steam to clean up these user suggestions, and to list Hogwarts Legacy under the right criteria.
What is the release date for Hogwarts Legacy?
Hogwarts Legacy will be available on February 10 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its release will be preceded by an early access period available to all players with the Deluxe and Collector version of the game. It will begin on February 7 at midnight on consoles, and at 7:00 p.m. on PC. The schedules will be the same depending on the platforms when the game is officially released on February 10. PS4 and Xbox One versions are planned, but you will have to wait until April 4 to play it, and until July 25 on Nintendo Switch.