'Hogwarts Legacy' developers rattled by the JK Rowling backlash

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Bloomberg:

" Within the team, though, some anxiety surrounds the work. The studio’s management has not addressed recent comments from the author J.K. Rowling that were widely viewed as transphobic, the people said. The situation made some members of the team uncomfortable and sparked private discussions among staff over the pandemic water cooler, the workplace communication app Slack.

Rowling, 54, is a near-inextricable part of the wizardry franchise she conjured more than two decades ago. She continues to play a role in most projects associated with the Harry Potter brand, and the game is no exception. However, one of the people working on the game stressed that Rowling has very little direct involvement.

Many fans are attempting to reconcile their love of the fantasy series with its author’s beliefs, which they find repugnant. On Reddit, there’s a 6,000-member community dedicated to the yet-to-be-announced Harry Potter game. The usual exchange of rumors and wish lists that takes place there was derailed this month by debate over Rowling’s statements. The forum’s editors posted a declaration that they “firmly stand in disagreement with the opinions stated in those tweets” and that fans should avoid discussing them.

The Rowling controversy is likely to diminish some anticipation for the game, said Felicia Grady, managing editor of the popular Harry Potter fan site MuggleNet. “Based on what I’ve seen from fans, I do believe that Rowling’s comments have had some effect on the level of excitement they have for the Harry Potter RPG or other upcoming content,” Grady wrote in an email. “We’ve seen comments from fans who no longer wish to support Rowling or the brand financially.” "

 

UPDATE: The game has officially been announced, with a 2021 release date:

 

[Regina George 59,387]

I'm kinda really excited for this game.. I love HP.. 

[COOOK 76,406]

  On 6/30/2020 at 11:36 AM, Regina George said:

I'm kinda really excited for this game.. I love HP.. 

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it's everything we want from a HP game... 

[RAMROD 106,934]

Well, perosnally not gonna install it now after all these clowning by Joanne Karen Rowling.

[hELXIG 42,277]

Someone please upload some kind of torrent with dedicated servers because we don't wanna support this bitch in any way going forward 

Edit: changed my mind, see below

[Luna Lovegood 24,251]

I wanna support the developers but not the TERF 😭😭

[Born in Chromatica 7]

Who is JK Rowling though 

[BlackCrown 1,794]

I'm very excited for this game and would buy it 

And I hope the drama around JK won't affect the game too much

I don't like the idea of giving money to JK, but you can't boycott this game just because of her, there's so many artists, devs, etc that have worked a lot on it since at least 2018, with love and devotion for their job, they are not responsible for what this dumb b*tch has said

[TasteLikeWhiskey 1,561]

This is a real test of our values! 

I don't know at what point spending money on a game or enjoying HP equals support/agreement with disgusting opinions! 

[Guest]

Looks cute, but I'll spend my money and power on a franchise that is fun and inclusive. 

[hELXIG 42,277]

  On 6/30/2020 at 12:14 PM, BlackCrown said:

I'm very excited for this game and would buy it 

And I hope the drama around JK won't affect the game too much

I don't like the idea of giving money to JK, but you can't boycott this game just because of her, there's so many artists, devs, etc that have worked a lot on it since at least 2018, with love and devotion for their job, they are not responsible for what this dumb b*tch has said

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This is so true actually.

I guess Joanne Karen has so much wealth anyway, that her portion from the game is just another drop in her millions. But for the devs and creative team, their earnings mean so much more to them. I take back my prior statement, do it for the people who worked on it, forget about her involvement. It's not fair to take away the livelihood and deserved credit of the many, for one undeserving rich bitch.

[Fantina 3,304]

I want to support the game because of the devs and hard work but at the same time I really don't want to support the franchise. Can they just rebrand the entire game and make a ripoff of Harry Potter thus distancing themselves from the brand and JK?  Call it Wizard World or something 

[Pennywise 35,931]

None of my money's going to her. Not buying it. Maybe I'll pirate it if I'm curious, but that's it 

[Bye 3,947]

I'll get it if it's good. JK's views/phobia notwithstanding, HP was a big part of my childhood. I'm still hoping she'll see reason someday and either reverse her position or at least not use her enormous platform to attack (directly or indirectly) vulnerable minorities. 

[monketsharona 71,904]

I just hope JK Rowling will see the light one day.

Even if it's her creation I won't let her ruin my childhood memories. Harry Potter had a big big part of it.