“J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World,” says WB in response to a question about J.K. Rowling’s involvement. “This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.”
Along those same lines, it’s later mentioned that the game is “inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World” and that the games are “anchored in Wizarding World lore.” Yes, they used the word “games” as in plural. Later on, WB clarifies that Portkey Games intends to “create a variety of new and immersive gaming experiences that are all inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.” There again, they make sure to note that “these experiences have not been written by J.K. Rowling and will not be direct adaptations of the books or films.”
That last part is somewhat speculative and obviously subject to change over the course of the coming years, but it’s certainly easy to understand why WB, Portkey Games, and the other members of the Hogwarts Legacy team would want to disassociate themselves with Rowling. As we mentioned in a previous article, transphobic comments made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling greatly concerned many of those involved with Hogwarts Legacy and other Harry Potter projects at Warner Bros.
Around that same time, Warner Bros. put out a statement which noted that their “position on inclusiveness is well established” and that “fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world.” While Warner Bros. did not specifically reference J.K. Rowling in the statement, that statement was released in response to some of Rowling’s early controversial comments.
So while Hogwarts Legacy is indeed heavily inspired by the works of Rowling and the greater Harry Potter universe, its 1800s time period and these statements certainly create quite a bit of distance between Rowling and the games.
