A new Harry Potter video game is ostensibly trying to distance itself from J.K. Rowling and her string of transphobic comments with the introduction of the series’ first trans character — and many fans are calling it a cynical way to make up for the creator’s rhetoric.
Over the weekend, the first reviews of Hogwarts Legacy — a new open-world game set in the 1890s, well before the events of the main Harry Potter series — began to pore in, and many noted the inclusion of a non-playable character (Npc) named Sirona Ryan.
Over the weekend, the first reviews of Hogwarts Legacy — a new open-world game set in the 1890s, well before the events of the main Harry Potter series — began to pore in, and many noted the inclusion of a non-playable character (Npc) named Sirona Ryan.
- 2/6/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic franchise is a legendary series that affected the course of gaming history and solidified their development studios as RPG juggernauts. Given the clout this franchise holds, one might expect greenlighting further entries would be an easy task. To quote Thanos, “Reality is often disappointing.”
The Kotor franchise currently consists of three titles: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, and The Old Republic. But the third entry, despite existing within the same continuity, is not a sequel to the first two single-player RPGs. Instead, it’s an Mmorpg side story that takes place 300 years after the first two games.
A proper sequel to the first two games has existed in a state of development hell limbo for almost 20 years, pitched around and canceled at different studios, only to be revived again several years later and subsequently canned again.
The Kotor franchise currently consists of three titles: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, and The Old Republic. But the third entry, despite existing within the same continuity, is not a sequel to the first two single-player RPGs. Instead, it’s an Mmorpg side story that takes place 300 years after the first two games.
A proper sequel to the first two games has existed in a state of development hell limbo for almost 20 years, pitched around and canceled at different studios, only to be revived again several years later and subsequently canned again.
- 8/17/2022
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
A recent Bloomberg report revealed that the upcoming Harry Potter universe game Hogwarts Legacy will offer transgender character creation options by not associating the game’s “witch” and “wizard” designations with the player character’s voice, body type, and other customizable attributes.
The reveal of this intended feature drew controversy from some gamers who threw out the usual complaints, but the bulk of the controversy in this instance dates back to anti-transgender comments made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Those comments once seemingly prompted Warner Bros. and Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software to clarify that Rowling has no real substantial creative input in the development of the game.
It’s not just outside influences that have hindered this game’s reputation. Recently, journalist Liam Robertson posted a Twitter thread that revealed Hogwarts Legacy lead designer Troy Leavitt previously posted many anti-feminist and pro-gamergate YouTube videos. As of the time of this writing,...
The reveal of this intended feature drew controversy from some gamers who threw out the usual complaints, but the bulk of the controversy in this instance dates back to anti-transgender comments made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Those comments once seemingly prompted Warner Bros. and Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software to clarify that Rowling has no real substantial creative input in the development of the game.
It’s not just outside influences that have hindered this game’s reputation. Recently, journalist Liam Robertson posted a Twitter thread that revealed Hogwarts Legacy lead designer Troy Leavitt previously posted many anti-feminist and pro-gamergate YouTube videos. As of the time of this writing,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Resetera, one of the internet’s largest video game forums, banned all promotional material for Avalanche Studios’ upcoming “Hogwarts Legacy” following reports that one of the game’s lead designers previously created YouTube videos praising Gamergate.
Freelance journalist Liam Robertson tweeted screenshots of Avalanche Studios lead designer Troy Leavitt’s YouTube account on February 19 that showcased videos with titles such as “The Injustice of Social Justice,” “In Praise of Cultural Appropriation,” and “In Defense of John Lasseter,” a former Pixar executive who left the company in 2018 following sexual misconduct allegations. Leavitt’s comments on social media, combined with “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans comments on social media, incentivized Resetera to ban all promotinal material regarding the upcoming video game.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this, and we consider this a very exceptional case,” Hecht, a Resetera administrator, said in a Tuesday statement on the forum.
Freelance journalist Liam Robertson tweeted screenshots of Avalanche Studios lead designer Troy Leavitt’s YouTube account on February 19 that showcased videos with titles such as “The Injustice of Social Justice,” “In Praise of Cultural Appropriation,” and “In Defense of John Lasseter,” a former Pixar executive who left the company in 2018 following sexual misconduct allegations. Leavitt’s comments on social media, combined with “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans comments on social media, incentivized Resetera to ban all promotinal material regarding the upcoming video game.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this, and we consider this a very exceptional case,” Hecht, a Resetera administrator, said in a Tuesday statement on the forum.
- 2/26/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
One of Capcom’s cult favourite series is destined never to see the light of day again, it seems.
Dino Crisis, the other survival horror franchise created by industry auteur Shinji Mikami before he parted ways with the company, continues to maintain a fanbase of loyal followers, despite the most recent release, Dino Crisis 3, being almost two decades old. Received with lukewarm reviews compared to its predecessors, the third game is often considered to have sealed the series’ current fate of fading ever further into obscurity, an unfortunate trajectory that hasn’t gone wholly unchallenged over the years.
As per their latest episode of Game History Secrets, in fact, YouTuber Liam Robertson, having secured some face time with former members of Capcom’s now-defunct Vancouver branch, reveals that the prospect of a Dino Crisis reboot had, at one point in time, been on the table.
This Fan-Made Dino Crisis Remake...
Dino Crisis, the other survival horror franchise created by industry auteur Shinji Mikami before he parted ways with the company, continues to maintain a fanbase of loyal followers, despite the most recent release, Dino Crisis 3, being almost two decades old. Received with lukewarm reviews compared to its predecessors, the third game is often considered to have sealed the series’ current fate of fading ever further into obscurity, an unfortunate trajectory that hasn’t gone wholly unchallenged over the years.
As per their latest episode of Game History Secrets, in fact, YouTuber Liam Robertson, having secured some face time with former members of Capcom’s now-defunct Vancouver branch, reveals that the prospect of a Dino Crisis reboot had, at one point in time, been on the table.
This Fan-Made Dino Crisis Remake...
- 6/8/2020
- by Joe Pring
- We Got This Covered
Rob Leane Mar 29, 2019
Is the Game of Thrones author teaming up with FromSoftware for an open world game?
A rumor has emerged on the web suggesting that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is working with FromSoftware - the developers of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and the recently-released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - on an open-world video game.
The rumor emerged on the Spawn Wave YouTube channel, citing Liam Robertson (a writer with a good reputation for scoops) as its source. Spawn Wave makes it clear that nothing here has been confirmed publicly, and therefore we should come at this story with some skepticism.
According to the report, FromSoftware will develop the as-yet-untitled project and Bandai Namco will publish it, with the Game of Thrones author reportedly creating the world of the game and writing for the title. The game will reportedly drop the player into a vast open world comprised of different kingdoms,...
Is the Game of Thrones author teaming up with FromSoftware for an open world game?
A rumor has emerged on the web suggesting that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is working with FromSoftware - the developers of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and the recently-released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - on an open-world video game.
The rumor emerged on the Spawn Wave YouTube channel, citing Liam Robertson (a writer with a good reputation for scoops) as its source. Spawn Wave makes it clear that nothing here has been confirmed publicly, and therefore we should come at this story with some skepticism.
According to the report, FromSoftware will develop the as-yet-untitled project and Bandai Namco will publish it, with the Game of Thrones author reportedly creating the world of the game and writing for the title. The game will reportedly drop the player into a vast open world comprised of different kingdoms,...
- 3/29/2019
- Den of Geek
Rob Leane Matthew Byrd Apr 11, 2017
Rumours suggest that Bioware has secretly been working on a Knights Of The Old Republic game. Please be true...
Here's a hot new rumour for Star Wars fans to chew on: it's been suggested that BioWare (specifically their Austin branch) has been working in secret on some sort of revival of the Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic gaming series.
See related The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 4 review The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 3 review The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 2 review The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 1 review The Last Kingdom series 2: politics, battles and arselings
If you're unfamiliar, this much-beloved RPG franchise from Bioware debuted way back in 2003, with Knights Of The Old Republic ('KotOR' to its friends), an epic yarn set within the ancient history of the Star Wars universe, which allowed the player to choose either the dark side or the light,...
Rumours suggest that Bioware has secretly been working on a Knights Of The Old Republic game. Please be true...
Here's a hot new rumour for Star Wars fans to chew on: it's been suggested that BioWare (specifically their Austin branch) has been working in secret on some sort of revival of the Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic gaming series.
See related The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 4 review The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 3 review The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 2 review The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 1 review The Last Kingdom series 2: politics, battles and arselings
If you're unfamiliar, this much-beloved RPG franchise from Bioware debuted way back in 2003, with Knights Of The Old Republic ('KotOR' to its friends), an epic yarn set within the ancient history of the Star Wars universe, which allowed the player to choose either the dark side or the light,...
- 4/10/2017
- Den of Geek
Ahead of Star Wars Celebration Orlandao this coming weekend, there’s some truly tantalizing news beginning to seep out of the Star Wars universe – and no, it doesn’t involve The Last Jedi on this particular occasion.
Rather, Star Wars News Net has unearthed a report today regarding the gaming corner of Disney’s galaxy far, far away and, specifically, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. It’s going on 14 years since EA and BioWare first launched the cult RPG, and in those intervening years we’ve seen a further two additions to the Kotor universe – namely Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Mmo spinoff, Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Neither generated the same level of support and fandom as the 2003 original, and it looks as though EA and BioWare are exploring the possibility of resurrecting Knights Of The Old Republic for a new generation.
Rather, Star Wars News Net has unearthed a report today regarding the gaming corner of Disney’s galaxy far, far away and, specifically, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. It’s going on 14 years since EA and BioWare first launched the cult RPG, and in those intervening years we’ve seen a further two additions to the Kotor universe – namely Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Mmo spinoff, Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Neither generated the same level of support and fandom as the 2003 original, and it looks as though EA and BioWare are exploring the possibility of resurrecting Knights Of The Old Republic for a new generation.
- 4/10/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
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