Hogwarts Legacy Reportedly Includes Ability to Create Transgender Characters

According to a new report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Hogwarts Legacy will include the ability to create a transgender witch or wizard. This will be done through an in-depth character creator that separates the body, voice, and gender options. Following those choices, you will determine which dormitory your bed bunk and belongings will be located in by selecting to be either a witch or wizard. Schreier then went on to state that the development team at Avalanche Software had been pushing hard for the feature to be a thing and that the inclusive character creator will be part of the final product at the time of writing.

The build-up to the launch of Hogwarts Legacy, now slated for 2022, has been marred by controversial comments made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Repeatedly accused of transphobia, many longtime fans of the series find themselves in a difficult predicament — do they support what is a dream game for many or refuse to put cash in the back pocket of Rowling? This situation was then worsened when it was discovered that lead designer Troy Leavitt has a history of criticising feminism and social justice movements via a YouTube channel. He also expressed support for Gamergate, which harassed women and minorities in the past.

The team behind Hogwarts Legacy passed on this information to Schreier because they're said to be "sad and frustrated" with the development predicament they've found themselves in. The Bloomberg report adds the caveat that anything can change between now and the game's release next year, but for now, transgender witches and wizards are in. Let's hope it stays that way.