Hogwarts Legacy Discussion Banned From ResetEra Forum Site Over J.K. Rowling Controversy

ign.com:

Discussion of Hogwarts Legacy has been banned from popular forum website ResetEra due to the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

As reported by PC Gamer, ResetEra general manager B-Dubs has released a statement from the moderation team that bans all mention of the Harry Potter-universe video game on their platform.

ResetEra had previously banned any promotional posts around the game - things like new trailers and announcements - but has now extended this to include any discussion.

"The mod team has decided to expand our prior ban on promotion for the Hogwarts game to include the game itself," the statement read. "There will be no [off topic chat] and no discussion of this game."

Rowling has been criticised for sharing transphobic views on social media, supporting anti-trans researcher Maya Forstater, writing an essay that included harmful statements and unsubstantiated claims about trans people (that were later debunked by experts), and more.

"After continued internal discussion, we began to start outlining the issues put forth by Rowling and the game in question and each time, and as we discussed it all, we kept coming back to the simple fact that Rowling is not only a bigot but is actively pushing, in her position as a wealthy and famous individual, for legislation that will hurt trans people," the statement said.

Warner Bros. Games has made clear that Rowling is "not directly involved" with Hogwarts Legacy, and the game itself (which lets players create their own character and attend the school for witches and wizards) will reportedly allow for the creation of transgender characters.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.