Hogwarts Legacy hasn’t been released yet, but the game is already embroiled in controversy. For those out of the loop, author J.K. Rowling has continuously expressed harmful opinions about trans people, prompting even those close to her to disavow her views. While Rowling isn’t involved with the new game, she is the creator of the Harry Potter franchise itself and many would-be players are boycotting the game as a way to show support to the trans community. At least one developer who worked on Hogwarts Legacy will be joining the boycott.
Game developer Parker Hartzler took to Twitter to explain his reasoning for boycotting the game he worked on. Hartzler worked on set as part of the motion-capture crew and states Hogwarts Legacy is the second big-budget game he has worked on. In a Twitter thread, he shares the game credits as proof he worked on the game before going on to say boycotting is “the least I can do as an ally.”
“Trans people do not deserve to have people like JKR grow and prosper,” Hartzler writes. In a short Twitter thread, he continues his reasoning for not purchasing the game by saying, “any ammunition to the wrong side is damage to a society I would otherwise wish to see in the future. One where people are not discriminated against for their gender, sexuality, or any piece of their identity.”
Some critiqued Hartzler’s decision and called him hypocritical for working on the game in the first place. Hartzler anticipated the critique, saying if he hadn’t shown up for the job, he would have been fired immediately and suffered from homelessness as a result. In other tweets, he clarifies this was his first job working in the industry, and that he had no say in what clients his studio brought on. According to Hartzler, much of the work on Hogwarts Legacy was outsourced, and the employees weren’t in a position to openly criticize the game without losing their jobs (and possibly their place in gaming industry itself).
In addition to his own tweets, Hartzler retweeted other reasons to not purchase the game. Rowling might not have been directly involved in Hogwarts Legacy, but she does receive royalties as the author and creator of The Wizarding World and purchasing the game will put money in her pocket, like it or not. With other retweets, he also called for people buying the game in support of the people who worked on it, to consider buying games from other developers.
The discourse around Hogwarts Legacy will likely continue as the game gears for release Feb. 10. If you’re planning on boycotting, here are several magical games you could consider playing instead (and if your curiosity gets the best of you, here’s how to keep your achievements to yourself).
Published: Feb 8, 2023 03:11 pm