Talk of 'Hogwarts Legacy' has been banned on huge gaming forum ResetEra.
The decision comes down to 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling's anti-trans comments.
A statement posted by ResetEra general manager B-Dubs read: “After continued internal discussion, we began to start outlining the issues put forth by Rowling and the game in question and each time, and as we discussed it all, we kept coming back to the simple fact that Rowling is not only a bigot but is actively pushing, in her position as a wealthy and famous individual, for legislation that will hurt trans people.
“She uses the influence and money gained from her success with Harry Potter to push transphobic legislation. Therefore, the mod team has decided to expand our prior ban on promotion for the Hogwarts game to include the game itself,” it continued. Comments on the announcement were turned off."
The 'Harry Potter'-themed game based on Rowling's Wizarding World franchise - which will see the player take up a place at the famous magical school in the late 1800s - will launch on February 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Playstation 4 and Xbox One follows on April 4 and Nintendo Switch players will have a while longer to wait with a date set for July 25.
Warner Bros. Games has insisted Rowling is “not directly involved”, though her writing has provided the "foundation" for the title.
The acclaimed scribe first cause controversy when she took issue with an online article’s mention of “people who menstruate” by tweeting: “‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Among those who have since hit out at the author over her remarks are ‘Harry Potter’ actors including Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson, as well as Eddie Redmayne, 40, who featured in her ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films.
