A group of LGBTQ+ designers have raised over $79,000 (£65,587) after they put together a bundle games in protest at Hogwarts Legacy.
- READ MORE: ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ review: graduation
The new Harry Potter-based open-world role-playing game was released last Friday (February 10) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Many fans had already stated their intention to boycott the game, due to the fact that J.K. Rowling would profit from its sales despite the game’s official site stating that she was “not involved in the creation of the game.”
The inclusion of the franchise’s first transgender character, Sirona, also drew further criticism, with many describing it as tone deaf.
The appearance of a transgender character in the Wizarding World is particularly significant, given that Rowling has generated widespread controversy over the years by making comments that many have perceived as transphobic.
A group of designers then released a bundle of games with the aim of rejecting “Hogwarts Legacy‘s bigotry” and supporting “indie devs”.
The Trans Witches Are Witches bundle, which costs $60 (£49), has already raised more than $70,000 (£58,115), while a smaller, sister bundle, the Apprentice Edition, which is being sold for $10 (£8.30), has raised more than $9,900 (£8,219).
Proceeds from the bundles, organised and curated by Kritiqal, are split evenly by the creators, reports PC Gamer.
The main bundle includes video games, tabletop games, music, assets and zines with magical themes.
In a three-star review of Hogwarts Legacy, NME wrote: “Despite it looking the part, this Victorian-set RPG adventure game can only offer a facsimile: a world that, although ostensibly populated, feels lifeless and doesn’t let you have any real impact on it.”
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