‘Hogwarts Legacy’ studio insider speaks out over J.K. Rowling’s influence on Harry Potter game

As the release of Hogwarts Legacy looms in the distance, the ongoing discussion about whether J.K. Rowling will profit from the video game continues. 

Avalanche Software insider Troy Leavitt joined the conversation on Twitter, sharing his experience working for the video game developer and how, to his knowledge, financial gain is distributed among those associated with it. 

“I worked for Avalanche for many years. The studio always shared its financial successes with its employees via generous bonuses.  

Buying #HogwartsLegacy primarily supports the people that made the game.”

According to Leavitt, while Rowling, as the intellectual property owner, will indeed financially benefit from the game should it be purchased en masse, the majority of the benefits will go to Avalanche Software employees “via generous bonuses.” 

The official website for Hogwarts Legacy has confirmed that Rowling was not involved in the creation process of the game, save preserving certain aspects of the Wizarding World’s look and feel. 

“J.K. Rowling is not involved in the creation of the game, but as creator of the wizarding world and one of the world’s greatest storytellers, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World. This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling, however we have collaborated closely with her team on all aspects of the game to ensure it remains in line with the magical experiences fans expect.”

Those in opposition to Rowling’s opinions may hardly see this, nor Leavitt’s words, as a crutch to lean on, while others looking for a reason to feel less guilty about purchasing the game could see it as a green light to proceed. 

What we can say is that Hogwarts Legacy remains mired up to its eyeballs in an ongoing debate about whether or not those in opposition to J.K. Rowling’s harmful transphobic views should line her pockets by purchasing the game, or boycott the game’s release entirely to send a clear message. 

For some, the mere notion of supporting Rowling or any new Wizarding World content has lost all enjoyment, For others, not so much, however unfortunate that may be. At the end of the day, whether or not to buy Hogwarts Legacy remains a personal decision, but it might be worth considering what will happen if you do decide to purchase it.