Portkey Games Addresses Hogwarts Legacy's Transgender Character
Warning: The below contains some vague details about an early Hogwarts Legacy mission, but no major spoilers.
Adding a new wrinkle to the ongoing debate over the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy, IGN has learned that a transgender woman features prominently in an early mission.
The character, Sirona Ryan, runs the Three Broomsticks tavern and is first encountered in the second main story quest.
Sirona's inclusion in Hogwarts Legacy is particularly notable given the controversy surrounding the game, which has ignited debate because of Harry Potter author and primary rights holder J.K. Rowling's consistent anti-transgender rhetoric for the past few years. Many Harry Potter fans have vowed not to buy Hogwarts Legacy as not to benefit Rowling and her anti-trans views.
Curiously, Sirona was not included in any pre-release marketing for Hogwarts Legacy, and the development team at Portkey Games has largely remained mum on Rowling and the controversy at large. IGN asked Portkey to comment on Sirona's inclusion in the game, and a representative for the developer responded via email:
Can you talk about the creation of Sirona Ryan? How early in development was she conceived?
"It has been a high priority throughout the development of Hogwarts Legacy to create a game that is representative and diverse, aligning with our wonderful fan community. Offering players choices in the way they play the game is an element that we have worked on since the start of development. The Character Creator is just one example of that and of course, the large, diverse cast of characters present throughout the game have also had a huge amount of thought from Avalanche and Warner Bros. Games, as well as counsel from outside D&I experts."
Sirona is coded as
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