With Hogwarts Legacy set to launch in just a few days (and as early as tomorrow, for those who pre-ordered the physical collector’s or digital deluxe editions), series creator J.K. Rowling will, in all likelihood, likely find herself trending on Twitter and Google. For those who aren’t aware, the game’s development and upcoming release have been mired in controversy due to Rowling’s controversial comments, which many have deemed transphobic and hurtful. Needless to say, there have been calls by some to boycott the game entirely, while others have argued in favor of the game’s developers, who could be impacted if the game underperforms. Of course, there are also those who want to engage with a franchise that is near and dear to their hearts.
In recent years, Rowling’s actual work on the franchise has been largely advisory; her last major contribution was penning the screenplay for the second film in the Fantastic Beasts series, The Crimes of Grindelwald. Still, fans have been wondering whether she has been involved with the creation and development of Hogwarts Legacy.
Does J.K. Rowling appear in the Hogwarts Legacy credits?
While Rowling’s body of work has served as the basis for the game’s story, it might come as a surprise that she is not featured in the game credits at all — in fact, we watched through the entire thing twice, just to make sure. This seems to match up with one of the frequently asked questions posted on the game’s official website, with developer Avalanche Software explaining that she was not involved with the creation of the game. They also make a note that they have “collaborated closely with her team on all aspects of the game,” which seems specifically worded to imply that the dev team did not collaborate with her directly. This would certainly explain why she is not featured in the game’s credits.
That being said, it’s hard to say with any degree of certainty whether J.K. Rowling’s absence from the staff credits is a result of her never working on Hogwarts Legacy in any advisory capacity, or whether the game’s publisher, Warner Bros. Games, chose to omit her due to the controversy surrounding her views on gender. In years past, she has been given special thanks in several of the franchise’s video game adaptations, but it’s worth noting that these mentions predate her rise to infamy.
