It seems that the hit new Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy is being made into a franchise thanks to its success.
Prior to its release, many social media users threatened to boycott Hogwarts Legacy over J.K. Rowling’s previous controversial comments about trans people, despite this, it looks like the game has gained a lot of fans.
Let’s go back to where it all began. What started out as a mere musing while stuck on a delayed train in London, 1990, led to a young Joanne Rowling conjuring up the magical story of Harry Potter.
Thirty years since it’s creation, over 500 million copies of the book franchise have been sold worldwide in eighty different languages, making it one of the best-selling book series of all time.
The adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were quick to capture a vast and loyal fanbase, with children and adults alike being instantly captivated by the novel.
So, of course, it didn’t take long for the movie adaptations to come along, bringing Rowling’s words and imagination to life by transforming them into a series of blockbuster movies.
The wizardry and witchcraft mania that was induced by the books was only exaggerated after the release of the on-screen adaptations which, collectively, grossed around $6.5 billion in total.
Despite her popularity, in recent years, many have deemed Rowling to be extremely problematic.
Although it has been a few years since then, many fans have spoken out against Rowling. And with the release of Harry Potter video game, Hogwarts Legacy, some have threatened to boycott the game.
In response to the release, trans activists have swamped Twitter.
One wrote: “Talking about the Hogwarts Legacy boycott – are there more important things in life? yes. Should you boycott it because it’s a very easy – literally bare minimum – way to show solidarity with trans people? also yes.”
“Not getting Hogwarts Legacy cause JK Rowling is a terf (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) is a very valid reason,” another said.
The game officially came out on February 10, and despite the initial backlash, it seems to be a hit with Potter fans. So much so, that Warner Bros. are planning on turning it into a long-running franchise.
Hogwarts Legacy lets users experience Hogwarts as a student in the 1800s, in a story that takes place before the events of Harry Potter.
Players can also “embark on a dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world.”
According to Metacritic, Hogwarts Legacy received an impressive rating of 4.6 stars and was ranked as the fourth-best PlayStation 5 game of 2023, which is no mean feat in the video game world.
Due to its popularity, Hogwarts Legacy is being considered as a long-term franchise by the developer, who described the player interaction as “amazing” in a recent interview with Variety.
“We are very pleased with the initial launch and see a bright future for our other platform launches,” Haddad said.
“Our goal is to continue to utilize our amazing library of Warner Bros. Discovery franchises as we develop our future slate of games.”
President and CEO of games for the company, JB Perrette added that they are “fortunate and unique in being able to tell every kind of story.”
“From fiction to nonfiction, movies to TV, and linear to interactive. Our ability to develop and publish world-class games in-house sets us apart from other entertainment companies.”
