Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Hogwarts Legacy.
The widespread release of Hogwarts Legacy is right around the corner.
The game is set to officially release in just a few days, but early access to the Harry Potter-inspired story has already begun. This has ramped up conversation about the title, and its connections to author J.K. Rowling, up several notches, and boycotters have found a new way to push back.
A large portion of the population plans to boycott Hogwarts Legacy in the hopes of sending a message to Rowling. While the author isn’t directly involved with the game, she did create the world it’s set in, and thus will inevitably benefit from its sales. With this in mind, and Rowling’s campaign against trans people at the forefront of their minds, trans people and their allies are pushing back against the latest addition to the Harry Potter universe.
This has largely taken the form of passionate online discussion, donations to trans organizations, and even bullying among the movement’s most vehement members. Some overzealous supporters have taken things a step further and are sharing leaked spoilers online, hoping to spoil the game for anyone willing to make a purchase. It’s already working.
Several major spoilers are floating around Twitter as you read this, focused on ruining major plot points that occur late in the game. This should go without saying, but stop here if you’d like to avoid major story spoilers for Hogwarts Legacy.
Two major plot points are currently floating around the web as spoiler-happy users carefully post some of the game’s most impactful developments. They’re leaning on the death of the playable character’s mentor, Professor Eleazar Fig, regardless of which ending players get, as well as the true culprit behind Anne’s cursing, to ruin the game for as many people as possible.
These two spoilers are more than enough to impact players’ enjoyment of the Hogwarts Legacy storyline, and gamers were furious to find them littering Twitter timelines before the game even launched. Spoiling a story is a minor form of protest, but many people still find it unforgivably rude.
Gamers hoping to enjoy Hogwarts Legacy upon its full release are pleading with boycotters to stop the spoiler campaign and allow them to enjoy the game for themselves. Most of those posting spoilers aren’t overly interested in listening, however, and are merely finding more creative ways to conceal spoilers within posts, and pushing back against criticism with snarky quips.
Ruining any story for the people trying to enjoy it is certainly discourteous, but with a game like Hogwarts Legacy, the conversation is complicated somewhat. The game’s connections to Rowling mean that a prominent figure with heaps of cash and anti-trans sentiments will become even more wealthy due to its sales, but does that excuse the sheer pettiness of spoiling a game for everyone?
Trans people and their allies are in a tough spot. Hogwarts Legacy is already doing well, and it’s not even out yet. Streams of the game are pulling in millions of viewers, pre-sales are through the roof, and a huge number of people are lining up to enjoy the game when it officially drops on Feb. 10. In some cases, these buyers are not supportive of Rowling or her transphobic views, but in some cases they clearly are. There is certainly a portion of users who support trans people but can’t stop themselves from playing the game, but a large portion of those purchasing Hogwarts Legacy are doing so as a middle finger to the trans community. This means that everyone — even those buying the game as Harry Potter fans, instead of TERF supporters — is promoting the idea that trans lives, identity, and safety isn’t as important as a game about wizards.
With this in mind, its pretty easy to see why Hogwarts Legacy boycotters are finding every way possible to push back against the game. It doesn’t necessarily excuse the bullying or spoiler campaigns, but it certainly does explain them.
