On a FAQ from WB Games, the company confirmed that J.K. Rowling is “not directly involved” with Hogwarts Legacy.
“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,” it reads. “This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.”
Yesterday, after years of rumors and a leaked gameplay clip, the magical RPG set in the Harry Potter universe was announced during the PS5 showcase. The open-world game will set itself in the 1800s, before the events of the novels that Rowling wrote. Like games in the role-playing genre, you will get to create your wizard or witch as you embark upon a “dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world.”
Rowling has run into controversy over the last two years as she has been accused of being transphobic. In one instance, in 2018, she liked a tweet from a woman talking about “men in dresses get brocialist solidarity.” Last year, she tweeted out support for Maya Forstater, a British researcher who was fired from her job at a nonprofit for a Twitter thread that was considered transphobic. Most recently, on September 15, the British author published Troubled Blood, the fifth installment in her Cormoran Strike series. The book took heat from transgender activists due to the main villain, a cross-dressing serial killer who murders cis women.
Dress however you please.
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
When it comes to Rowling not being involved with Hogwarts Legacy, the developer FAQ goes deeper into how they have her blessing to run with ideas in the world she had created back in 1997. WB Games writes that she is “supportive of Portkey Games and has entrusted the design and creation of the games to WB Games and the developers involved.”
Fans of all things flying broomsticks and magical sticks will get their hands on this game sometime in 2021 for current and next-gen editions of the Xbox One, Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, along with PC players.
