Harry Potter RPG Hogwarts Legacy Will Allow for Transgender Characters

Hogwarts Legacy, the upcoming game set in the world of Harry Potter, will allow for transgender characters. As reported by Bloomberg, sources have confirmed that players will be able to create a character that has either a masculine or feminine voice no matter what their body looks like. Furthermore, they will be able to choose to be either a witch or wizard, no matter what previous choices they made. This will then help determine what dorm they are placed in and how they are addressed by other characters in the game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/hogwarts-legacy-official-reveal-trailer"] This news follows the controversy surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling due to her transphobic comments. Rowling was criticized for supporting anti-trans researcher Maya Forstater on social media and also faced backlash by going on transphobic rants on Twitter and publishing an essay that contained harmful statements and unsubstantiated claims about the trans community. These comments by Rowling have made many uneasy about supporting Hogwarts Legacy, and it led to WB clarifying that Rowling has no direct involvement with this RPG developed by Avalanche. Warner Bros. Interactive president David Haddad also spoke up on the matter in late 2020, saying, "I might not agree with her stance on a range of topics, but I can agree that she has the right to hold her opinions." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hogwarts-legacy-playstation-5-showcase-screenshots&captions=true"] Hogwarts Legacy was announced at September 2020's P55 event and will send players to Hogwarts in the late 1800s to live the life of a young witch or wizard. Last month, Hogwarts Legacy, which is also coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and PC, was delayed to 2022 to give "the game the time it needs." For more on the controversey surrounding Hogwarts Legacy, be sure to check out our look at how Harry Potter fans are coping with J.K. Rowling's comments. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.