In August 2022, at the German video game industry conference Gamescom, the yet-to-be-released action role-playing game Hogwarts Legacy won its first accolade: “Best Trailer,” on the strength of its freshly premiered, two-minutes first look. The trailer was broadcasted to thunderous applause amongst those in the live Gamescom audience. But rather than a shadowy panel of judges, anonymous users voted to give the game its big win.
The audience-driven achievement—small as it might be, in the grand scheme—demonstrated an uncomfortable reality: The Harry Potter franchise, including the expanded wizarding world and the then-unreleased Hogwarts Legacy, remains immensely, unstoppably popular.
In light of its controversial creator’s personal values—namely, J.K. Rowling’s transphobic outbursts in the years since she finished the novels—this overwhelming show of support for the franchise’s latest big product feels troubling. And now that both the overwhelmingly positive reviews and the game itself are here, fans past and present are forced to make a choice: Will they buy Hogwarts Legacy?
Source: The Daily Beast
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