Like a lot of games reportedly in development at the WB Interactive studios, there has been rumors swirling for quite some time that a video game based on the beloved Harry Potter series is in development. Now, it seems that we got one of the most reliable sources saying it does exist, but it seems there’s quite a lot of turmoil around it due to the author of the original novels, J.K. Rowling.
To the game itself, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier confirmed the existence of the as of yet unnamed Harry Potter project. He referred to the game as a big budget “vast, open world” recreation of Hogwarts and its surronding area being created by Avalanche Software. It will come out sometime next year for next generation consoles and presumably PC.
It seems as if there is some degree of turmoil on the team due to recent comments made by original Harry Potter Author and Creator J.K. Rowling. If you’re unaware, Rowling has made a lot of very vocal and controversial statements in regards to transgender rights that many see as transphobic. As Schreier writes, “Within the team, though, some anxiety surrounds the work. The studio’s management has not addressed recent comments from the author J.K. Rowling that were widely viewed as transphobic, the people said. The situation made some members of the team uncomfortable and sparked private discussions among staff over the pandemic water cooler, the workplace communication app Slack.”
As stated in the article from Bloomberg, WB Interactive Entertainment as well Rowling were asked for comment, but both declined. As it stands, right now this is a rumor even though Schreier has been consistently reliable. It seems, at the very least, Rowling’s comments and the controversies around her isn’t slowing the development of the game and it will reportedly be unveiled shortly after the DC/WB FanDome event August 22nd. We’ll keep you updated as more of this develops.
