There has been a lot of hype surrounding the latest interactive game taking place in the magical world of Harry Potter and his beloved friends, but the latest development discovered by a gamer introduces something – or someone – wholly new to the Wizarding World.
The game, Hogwarts legacyis set over 100 years ago in the fictional Wizarding World (long before Potter and his team graced the halls of Hogwarts), and while it will be released on select consoles on February 10, players who pre-ordered the game early access.
“Hogwarts legacy is filled with immersive magic, putting players at the center of their adventure to become the witch or wizard they want to be,” said Warner Bros. in a description of the game. They will increase their character’s abilities by mastering powerful spells, brewing potions and harvesting magical plants while battling deadly enemies. Players will also encounter quests and scenarios that will present difficult choices and determine where they stand for.”
A preview of the game via GameRevolution showed that a transgender character appears in one quest.
The character, Sirona Ryan, is the owner of the Three Broomsticks pub in the fictional village of Hogsmeade. Ryan comes into play when the first-person character currently on one of his quests approaches her with a goblin named Lodgok, who is good friends with the bar owner. As Ryan begins to speak, she seems to acknowledge that she was born male and now identifies as female.
“I hadn’t seen him in years when he came in a few months ago,” Ryan says about Lodgok. But he recognized me right away. That’s more than I can say about some of my own classmates. It took them a while to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.’
Warner Bros. and Portkey Games have not yet publicly commented or confirmed the reveal.
The use of a transgender character is extremely poignant given that the author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has been criticized in the past for support and the use of anti-trans rhetoric.
The game’s creators clarified that Rowling was not directly involved in the creation of the new game and its characters.
“JK Rowling is not involved in the creation of the game, but as the creator of the wizarding world and one of the world’s greatest storytellers, her extraordinary amount of writing forms the basis of all projects in the wizarding world,” the statement read. description of the game states. “This isn’t a new story from JK Rowling, but we’ve worked closely with her team on all aspects of the game to ensure it stays in line with the magical experiences fans expect.”
Hogwarts legacy officially launches February 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, April 4 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and July 25 for Nintendo Switch.
