Still, those boycotting the game remain adamant that it's impossible to be an ally to the LGBTQ community and still play and support the game.I say this as someone who is admittedly not as impacted by this debate as people in the trans community, though I think that broader implications of this debate do affect all of us. “It’s important to get as much representation in games of different types of people, different lifestyles, different ethnicities, different religions, different aspects of what we see in real life represented in games,” said Darion Lowenstein, an industry veteran and video game consultant, who is gay.Įven if the representation is imperfect, having diverse characters in a major game like Hogwarts Legacy could potentially open doors for future games that can perfect the representation, Lowenstein said. Some industry experts suggest any representation in gaming is better than no inclusion at all. Others said they would play the game just to spite the transgender community On Twitch, some claimed they were being bullied and called bigots for streaming the game. Instead, users were encouraged to debate the ethics of the game 'in good faith' in a separate Reddit megathread.

“We have a diverse cast of characters that players will encounter throughout the game.”Ī spokesperson for Rowling declined to comment. “The team felt that it was very important to create a game that is representative of the rich and diverse world of Harry Potter as well as the groups of people who play games, which includes the LGBTQIA+ community,” the representative added. When asked about the new character by IGN, a representative for the game’s developer Avalanche Software said, “It has been a high priority throughout the development of Hogwarts Legacy to create a game that is representative and diverse, aligning with our wonderful fan community.”

Interactive, the game’s publisher, directed NBC News to an article in video game website IGN in which a spokesperson responded to the addition of a trans character. “As long as she’s relevant … there’s still work to be done.”Ī spokesperson for Warner Bros. “Social currency is still a thing and cultural relevance is still a thing,” said Candace Melody, a Canadian Twitch streamer and queer gamer.

Jk rowling on hogwarts legacy