Hogwarts Legacy is the highly-anticipated action role-playing game set in the wizarding world by Avalanche Entertainment and published by Warner Bros. Games. The game is set in the Wizarding World, the universe of the Harry Potter franchise. Gamers can experience attending Hogwarts in the late 1800s, visiting famous locations from the Harry Potter books and movies, while uncovering a plot involving mysterious ancient magic.

However, netizens are boycotting Hogwarts Legacy to show their disapproval of J.K. Rowling. The famous Harry Potter author has expressed controversial comments that many interpret as transphobic. As a result, many Harry Potter fans have turned their back on J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise.

Therefore, Real Research, an online survey app, conducted a survey on the recent boycotts on Hogwarts Legacy game. The survey aims to find out what the public thought about the Hogwarts Legacy controversy, J.K. Rowling’s controversial comments, and whether creators should be judged separately from their work.

The Survey’s Key Findings

  • 51.85% are surprised about the backfire of the Hogwarts Legacy boycott.
  • 24.83% supported the Hogwarts Legacy boycott.
  • 31.38% think Hogwarts Legacy made a genuine effort toward trans inclusion.

The survey began by asking respondents whether they were fans of the Harry Potter franchise. The majority (61.32%) responded that they are huge fans, while 31.98% are only somewhat fans, and 6.7% are not.

The Hogwarts Legacy Boycott over J.K. Rowling’s Comments

Following that, the survey asked respondents whether they’d heard of the new release game set in the Harry Potter universe, Hogwarts Legacy. Notably, all respondents are familiar with Hogwarts Legacy, with 43.55% currently playing the game and 56.45% being aware of it.

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Figure 1: Respondents stance on the boycott of Hogwarts Legacy

Netizens have pushed to boycott Hogwarts Legacy following J.K. Rowling’s repeated transphobic comments. Regarding the Hogwarts Legacy boycott, the survey asked respondents about their stance. Over half of the respondents (50.48%) were neutral on the subject, 24.83% supported the boycott, and 24.69% opposed the boycott.

J.K. Rowling Had No Involvement in Hogwarts Legacy’s Development

The survey asked respondents what they thought about J.K. Rowling’s controversial transphobic remarks. 43.33% disagreed with Rowling, 35.68% disagreed but respected her right to have an opinion, 9.04% agreed with her, 3.02% agreed with her but disagreed with her approach, and 8.93% were neutral.

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Figure 2: Response to Boycott after Avalanche Entertainment’s Disclaimer

Avalanche Entertainment, the developers of Hogwarts Legacy, clarified that J.K. Rowling had no involvement in creating the game. The survey asked respondents how they thought this would affect the boycott. 8.99% think the boycott would only affect Warner Bros. Games (the publishers), 8.64% think the boycott would not affect J.K. Rowling’s established reputation, 8.44% think it will not affect the publishers, while 8.4% think the boycott is now pointless. Meanwhile, 28.17% are unsure.

The Hogwarts Legacy Boycott Backfire

The boycott, ironically, caused Hogwarts Legacy to have a surge of pre-orders and publicity, making it one of the top-selling games in January. The survey asked respondents whether they were surprised by this turn of events. 51.85% were surprised about the backfire, while 48.14% expected the backfire.

Avalanche Entertainment has introduced a trans character, Sirona Ryan, in Hogwarts Legacy amidst J.K. Rowling’s controversial stance on trans people. The survey asked respondents their opinion on Sirona Ryan’s inclusion in the game. 31.38% think it’s a genuine effort toward trans inclusion, while 28.82% think it’s a disingenuous effort toward trans inclusion. Meanwhile, 39.8% are neutral.

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Figure 3: Should creators be judged separately from their work?

A significant number of Harry Potter fans have turned their back on J.K. Rowling for her transphobic remarks. The survey ended by asking respondents whether creators should be judged separately from their work. 35.98% believe creators should be judged separately, while 33.49% believe creators should be judged alongside their works. Meanwhile, 30.53% are unsure.

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey on the Recent Boycotts on Hogwarts Legacy Game
DurationFebruary 14 – February 21, 2022
Number of Participants10,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia,… Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.