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Leading up to its release in February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy faced a barrage of criticism and calls for boycott from activist circles across social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube. These critics accused the game and its creator, J.K. Rowling, of transphobia and believed that supporting or playing the game would be tantamount to endorsing her views. The narrative promoted was that engaging with the game would perpetuate harmful ideologies, especially among progressive and LGBTQ+ communities.
Despite these efforts, the backlash appeared to backfire spectacularly. The activists' attempts to suppress interest in the game only drew more attention to Hogwarts Legacy and its core fanbase. Their campaigns did not seem to dent sales or engagement.