The journalist Jason Schreier anticipates that members of the team have insisted on this possibility in the face of the transphobic comments of J.K. Rowling.
The new video game set in the Harry Potter universe, Hogwarts Legacy, has been in the spotlight since its official announcement. After the author of the books J.K. Rowling made some comments considered transphobic, Warner Bros clarified that the writer had not intervened in the development process. It was later discovered that the lead producer, Troy Leavitt, ran a YouTube channel in which he openly supported Gamergate. Now, according to information from journalist Jason Schreier (Bloomberg), the title will implement a character editor that will allow the creation of transgender characters.
When players start the title for the first time, they will be able to design a character with a male or female voice, regardless of their body. The information has been provided by a source who has decided to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak to the press. After creating our protagonist, we will have to choose between two options (witch or wizard), which will determine the bedroom in which we will rest during the stay at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
NEWS: Hogwarts Legacy will have trans-inclusive character creation, with body, voice, and gender (“witch / wizard”) all separated, sources say. This news follows JK Rowling’s transphobic comments and the recent discovery that a producer supports Gamergate https://t.co/vBmMdCSWAT
– Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) March 2, 2021
A more inclusive game
After J.K. Rowling slipped her transphobic opinions, actors of the Harry Potter films such as Daniel Radcliffe or Emma Watson distanced themselves from those statements. On the other hand, the comments generated a current within the development studio that has pushed for Hogwarts Legacy to be as inclusive a title as possible, to the point of delving into the customization system to allow the creation of transgender protagonists. Although there was some resistance from management at the beginning, this functionality is working. Warner Bros has declined to comment.
Hogwarts Legacy was announced in 2020 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC, but the studio decided to delay it and it will finally be out in 2022.
