Trans activists have branded the latest Harry Potter video game Hogwarts Legacy as a "genocide simulator," although pre-order sales for the title suggest attempts at a boycott have already backfired.
The game's listing on the popular online distribution platform Steam has come under fire from trans activists upset with Rowling's stance on transgenderism, with some tagging the game with categories such as "Transphobic" and "Genocide Simulator."
Steam has since taken down these tags and shut down reviews for the game, though some stock reviews have managed to slip through the net.
Pre-order sales for "Hogwarts Legacy" are already soaring, topping charts on Amazon and Steam, with indications it could be the best-selling video game of 2023.
The campaign to boycott the game has garnered support from prominent members of the gaming industry, including the radical feminist Brianna Wu, co-founder of Giant Spacekat development studio and a major target of the Gamergate controversy back in 2014.
“It’s really important for decent people to boycott Hogwarts Legacy,” Wu wrote last month. “I have a lot of friends in games media, but I will be cutting ties to anyone who promotes this.”
Despite the controversy, Warner Bros Interactive has confirmed that "Hogwarts Legacy" will include options for transgender witches and wizards in its character creator, a feature not commonly seen in other video games.
Meanwhile, Rowling has refused to back down on her position that transgender women are not the same as biological women, arguing that they undermine women's rights and that the "lived reality" of women is being erased by the aggressive behavior of the transgender lobby.
