Hogwarts Legacy boycotted on Resetera
There seems to be no peace for the new videogame production set in the Harry Potter universe. After Warner Bros Interactive has announced the postponement of Hogwarts: Legacy to 2022, a great controversy erupts on the net linked to one of the personalities involved in the development.We are talking about Troy Leavitt, who has recently become the subject of strong criticism for videos posted on your YouTube channel. The extremist positions of the Lead Designer of Hogwarts Legacy quickly recalled the controversy that exploded against the statements shared long ago by J.K. Rowling, author of the entire Harry Potter literary saga. In response to the situation, Resetera, one of the main gaming discussion forums, has decided to adopt an absolutely exceptional position, establishing, in fact, a real boycott of the game.
"So, it is a exceptionally unpleasant solution in which both the author of the IP and a Senior Producer of the game have expressed bigoted opinions in a recidivist manner. - reads a statement from the staff of Resetera - The staff have discussed it at length and as a result we have decided to activate a total ban for any discussion related to promotional material of the game. This means that there will be no discussions related to trailers or official announcements, discussions related to expectations or aspects of its characteristics. This effectively eliminates almost any discussion in the game. waiting for the release, unless there are important new developments regarding the controversy. This is the first time we have done something similar and we consider it an absolutely exceptional case ".
A decision that seems to want to stimulate a reaction from the development team of Hogwarts: Legacy and Warner Bros Interactive. We just have to wait to find out how it will evolve.
Hogwarts Legacy cursed with new controversy from pro-Gamergate lead designer
And what a legacy it already has (pic: WB Games)A new Harry Potter controversy has sprung up, this one concerning the lead designer of Hogwarts Legacy, who has a pro-Gamergate YouTube channel.
Hogwarts Legacy may be the Harry Potter game fans have dreamed of for years, but its announcement was already reeling from J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments on transgender people, with many declaring they will boycott the game.
Warner Bros. and developer Avalanche have attempted to distance themselves from Rowling by assuring fans that she has no direct involvement with the project, but now another controversy has been making the rounds, one concerning the game’s lead designer, Troy Leavitt.
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Initially spotted and highlighted by journalist Liam Robertson, Leavitt once maintained a YouTube channel that is distinctly pro-Gamergate, the incredibly controversial movement that claimed to be about ethics in games journalism but was really just an excuse to harass and abuse women.
One video is titled ‘In Defence of John Lasseter,’ the former Pixar executive who infamously left Disney following a major sexual harassment scandal. At the time, Lasseter had been accused of inappropriately touching female employees and kissing them on the lips. He was never taken to court over it and, while he did leave Disney, he was later hired to head Skydance Animation.
The channel hasn’t been updated since 2018, but the industry veteran (whose credits included several Avalanche developed Disney games like Disney Infinity), links to the channel in his Twitter bio, so he’s not exactly hiding it.
Following accusations that he is trying to ‘cancel’ Leavitt, Robertson defends himself by pointing out that the information was already publicly available and that he is simply informing people.
Whether this discovery will have any effect on the game’s sales is unknown. Some claim that this has only encouraged them to buy the game, while others reiterate that they don’t care about the views of the people involved so long as the game is good.
More: GamingThere’s also the fact that a lot of people simply won’t know about any of the issues, with many casual fans of Harry Potter likely to be completely unaware.
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We reached out to Warner Bros. for a comment on the situation and they have yet to reply.
Hogwarts Legacy will release for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One in 2022.
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