Warner Bros. / Avalanche Software (YouTube)

“The events in the last several weeks have firmed our resolve as a company to confront difficult societal issues,” the company said. “Warner Bros.’ position on inclusiveness is well established, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world. We deeply value the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves in sharing their creations with us all. We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and advocate understanding of all communities and all people, particularly those we work with and those we reach through our content.”

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Later that month, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad reportedly told employees during a private Q&A that Rowling was “entitled to express her personal opinion on social media.”

Many fans have expressed concerns over Leavitt’s involvement with Hogwarts Legacy since his YouTube history came up a few days ago, spurred on by the controversies already surrounding the upcoming game. Several users on popular gaming forum ResetEra have asked moderators to ban Hogwarts Legacy discussion altogether due to both Rowling’s influence on the franchise and Leavitt’s work as lead designer, a request moderators seem to be taking seriously.

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Video games are made by massive teams of people with vastly different backgrounds, viewpoints, and opinions. Even as lead designer, it’s very unlikely Leavitt has single-handedly infected every aspect of Hogwarts Legacy with an anti-feminist agenda. That said, it’s obvious why folks might be wary of interacting with a game developed by someone with his beliefs, adapted from works that have been sullied by their creator’s own bigoted worldview. Harry Potter might not be my personal cup of tea, but I feel for those who have seen something they cherished growing up become such a minefield of intolerance.