The Harry Potter franchise has been close to the hearts of people for a long time now. Bringing more magic into the franchise, the video game, Hogwarts Legacy, is all set to release in just a few days. However, the role-playing game seems to have reignited the J.K. Rowling controversy.
The magic surrounding the franchise seems to have been diluted a little ever since author J.K. Rowling made anti-trans comments. Even the cast of Harry Potter, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have made it quite clear that they do not relate to the author’s views. So how does Hogwarts Legacy reignite the discussions about J.K. Rowling’s views? Well, one of the characters in the game seemingly appears to be from the transgender community.
Does Hogwarts Legacy Have a Trans Character?
As per EW, the character is named Sirona Ryan and is presented as the owner of the Three Broomsticks in the Hogsmeade village. While carrying out one of the quests in the game looking for a Goblin named Lodgok, the player comes face to face with Sirona and they share a brief dialogue.
“I’ve known [Lodgok] for years. We met when I was waiting tables here as a student — well before I bought the place. He was cordial enough, but we weren’t friends then. His mistrust of wizardkind ran deep… Hadn’t seen him in years when he came in a few months ago. But, he recognized me instantly. Which is more than I can say for some of my own classmates. Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.”
The last part of the dialogue where Sirona says that it took her classmates some time to realize she wasn’t a wizard but a witch has fans thinking whether she is a trans woman. EW reached out to WB. Games for a comment but none have been made yet regarding the suspicion.
According to the outlet Hogwarts Legacy will also have the option to create gender-non-conforming characters if the players wish to do so. Players can also choose whether their character will have a more masculine or feminine voice despite what their character looks like. On top of all that, some characters in the video game use gender-neutral pronouns when talking about the main character.
Hogwarts Legacy Director Wants to Welcome Fans Back
Ever since we laid our eyes on Hogwarts, we all wanted an owl to drop off our admission letters. I mean, who wouldn’t want to cruise around on flying broomsticks and take a stroll of the Hogsmeade village all while trying to save the world from evil? While Hogwarts Legacy does make that possible, fans are now facing an ethical dilemma about the game.
Thanks to J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans comments, fans are questioning whether they should even purchase the video game or not. This is because some of the profits from Hogwarts Legacy will go back to Rowling as she is the primary rights holder of the franchise. The director of the game, Alan Tew, addresses these thoughts while talking to IGN.
“I think for us there are challenges in every game we’ve worked on. This game has been no different. When we bumped into those challenges, we went back and refocused on the stuff that we really care about. We know our fans fell in love with the Wizarding World, and we believe they fell in love with it for the right reasons. We know that’s a diverse audience. For us, it’s making sure that the audience, who always dreamed of having this game, had the opportunity to feel welcomed back. That they have a home here and that it’s a good place to tell their story.”
Tew has said loud and clear that the game is made with the diverse community of the fan base in mind. But will that be enough or are the sales of Hogwarts Legacy going to be affected because of Rowling’s views? We’re just gonna have to wait a few days to see.
Hogwarts Legacy will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 10.
Source: EW
