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" I’m happy to say that, even though I disclosed my YouTube channel to WB Games, it didn’t appear to be an issue for them. Not that they endorse anything that I’ve said, of course, but at least they seem more concerned with making good games than with pushing some kind of a social justice agenda, so there is hop  
The promised backlash has already begun since the information about Leavitt's history came to light on Friday, with fans already expressing concern about his involvement with Hogwarts Legacy on gaming forums, but all of that is to be expected. What's most interesting about the story as it stands is that WB Games knew that Leavitt had a history of controversial views and decided to hire him anyway, in the full knowledge that the Harry Potter fanbase is particularly sensitive to this sort of controversy in the wake of Rowling's transphobia . It seems to be a case of what Admiral Grace Hopper, pioneering computer scientist and one of the most influential women in history, once said: " It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permissio  
To try claw back some good press, developers at Avalanche leaked internal plans to allow players to play as a transgender character . Clearly, the developers inside Avalanche were embarrassed and upset that the actions of Leavitt and Rowling were jeopardising the game they’re creating. It’s hard not to feel bad for t  
So considering the level of scrutiny anything having to do with the Harry Potter series is under recently, it comes as somewhat of a surprise to learn that Hogwarts Legacy 's lead designer, Troy Leavitt, has a history of anti-feminist and pro-GamerGate views that he's elaborated on in a series of videos posted on his YouTube channel, as Kotaku has recently reported. His videos range from praising cultural appropriation, promoting putting the National Guard in schools or shooting active school shooters (who are almost always teenagers), to downplaying the extensive sexual assault allegations levied against former Disney/Pixar CCO John Lasseter because Lasseter was personally nice to Leavitt. Liam Robertson, a contributor on YouTube Channel Did You Know Gaming? highlighted Leavitt's channel on Twitter this past Friday, with the intention of informing potential buyers of Legacy so that they could make an informed decision on supporting the game, and Leavitt by extens  
In case you’re not up to speed, Hogwarts Legacy - the upcoming Avalanche game set within the Harry Potter universe - has been steeped in controversy. That controversy began with its very existence, thanks to the transphobic views spouted by series creator J.K. Rowling. People don’t want to support her financially by purchasing the game, and that’s their choice. It’s a valid stance. Vote with your wallet, as the saying g  
Once he does this, the views on his channel will skyrocket, thanks to both his supporters and people who are morbidly curious. The algorithm will reward him for it and he’ll get back to putting out videos about why he hates Brie Larson or some other asinine shit. Along with people like Shapiro, he will become another cog in the hate machine on YouTube, his videos revolving around the algorithm and reinforcing the beliefs of people who already watch similar tosh. Either that or he’ll go the crowdfunding route and promise to lead development on a game "free of politics", and the suckers will eat it up. If he was being assigned to a Hogwarts house, it would be Griftin  
The Wizarding World is important to hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people. Naturally, a lot of care and caution is expected to go into **Hogwarts Legacy ** because of its massive fanbase, but also because of the pressures that come with handling a franchise so paramount. It will be interesting to see how the game turns out, but it's safe to say that excitement is off the cha  
Upon releasing an announcement trailer at the PS5 Showcase , the developers also added a wallpaper that proves Hogwarts Legacy may be breaking Harry Potter canon to their website. Obviously, the wallpaper puts the Hogwarts castle at centerstage, but just to the right of Hogwarts is a very particular looking tree. The tree is the infamous Whomping Willow, which has been an intriguing part of Hogwarts for a long t  
Now, the tree in the wallpaper could just be another tree, but the placement and the cosmetics of it are just too coincidentally similar to the Whomping Willow. There is also the question of whether or not Hogwarts Legacy is actually canon within the Wizarding World. If not, the developers have a massive opportunity to truly tell their own version of Hogwarts Legacy patch notes|https://hogwartslegacyfans.com/ and the Wizarding World. However, being canon would mean there are pre-existing stories the game needs to be aware of, and remain within the constraints of those stor  
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transpho