WB Games Distances J.K. Rowling From New Harry Potter Game Hogwarts Legacy

One of the biggest surprises unveiled at Sony’s PlayStation 5 showcase earlier this week was Hogwarts Legacy. While Harry Potter fans have known for some time, of course, that a new game based on the iconic Wizarding World was in the works, Sony securing an initial reveal for its own next-gen presentation was a surprise, to say the least.

Taking place hundreds of years prior to the events that hardcore Potter fans, by now, could no doubt recite from memory, Hogwarts Legacy is an open world RPG set in the 1800s. In addition to plenty of wand-waving action, players enrolled in the titular school of magic will be able to craft potions and customize their own addition to J.K. Rowling’s beloved universe, but just how much input has the globally recognizable author had in Avalanche Software’s ambitious title?

Not much, is the answer provided by WB Games in a recently-published FAQ on the company’s official website. In response to the two-part question regarding Rowling’s involvement and whether the story being told by Hogwarts Legacy is one of her own making, they said the following:

J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, 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.

While the above certainly provides a definitive answer in terms of Rowling’s contribution, it also asks whether Legacy is considered internally to be a canon addition to the Harry Potter universe. The clarifying statement makes no reference to such, though considering how far in the past this tale takes place compared to the source material, it’s unlikely that any characters from the books will make an appearance. We’ll just have to wait and see, though.

Rowling, of course, has been somewhat ostracized by social media users as of late, especially on Twitter, having been accused of making a series of transphobic remarks on the platform. Whether this recent statement from Warner Bros., itself reading almost like a disclaimer, is an attempt to distance Hogwarts Legends from the fiction writer, we don’t know, but it certainly seems that way.