Transgender characters will be welcome at Hogwarts in the latest Harry Potter video game.
Hogwarts Legacy, the new Harry Potter role-playing game being published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, will allow for the creation of transgender characters, Bloomberg reports.
The game will let players create a character "that has a masculine or feminine voice no matter what their body looks like," according to the report. Players reportedly then select a "witch" or "wizard" option to determine dorm placement at Hogwarts and how other characters address them.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While Bloomberg notes other video games have offered similar customization, the news that this one will is particularly significant in light of the controversy sparked by a series of anti-trans statements made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. In one instance, Rowling on Twitter shared an article referencing "people who menstruate" and commented, "I'm sure there used to be a word for those people."
Numerous Harry Potter stars have pushed back on Rowling's comments, with Daniel Radcliffe last year saying "transgender women are women" in a post directed at those whose love of the series has now been "tarnished or diminished" by what the author said.
After breaking the story about Hogwarts Legacy, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier said on Twitter that those who leaked this news did so "because development of the game started long before Rowling's anti-trans crusade, and because they're sad and frustrated." According to the report, there was initially some resistance on the part of management to this push for greater inclusivity in the game, but the customization options are currently expected to be included when the Hogwarts Legacy launches in 2022.
-
Trump allies reportedly poised to buy TikTokSpeed Read Under the deal, U.S. companies would own about 80% of the company
-
September 17 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include a diet of outrage, toxic rhetoric, and tank treads on states' rights
-
The 9 restaurants to eat at this very momentThe Week Recommends They’re award-winning. Isn’t that reason enough?
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
