Hogwarts Legacy has had a ton of backlash due to Harry Potter’s creator, J.K. Rowling, transphobic comments, and the goblins in the game world being likened to anti-Semitic caricatures. Even after the game’s release, people are still making their voices heard about it. One of the ways someone made their voice heard was by creating a small title called Hogwarts Legacy Purchase Simulator. The game isn’t available online currently, which leaves many people wondering: what is Hogwarts Legacy Purchase Simulator?
Related: Hogwarts Legacy’s goblin uprising anti-semitic plot controversy, explained
Hogwarts Legacy Purchase Simulator explained
Hogwarts Legacy Purchase Simulator is a satirical indie game that was developed by Liana, a 29-year-old transwoman. The game highlights the discourse over Hogwarts Legacy and why Liana believes supporting this game is bad. You play as someone who is asked by David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, to purchase the game. You’re then messaged by Ashley, who tells you not to purchase the game and why. You can ignore Ashley and purchase copies of Hogwarts Legacy, much to the delight of Zaslav and Rowling, or decide to listen to Ashley and not support the game.
In the background, you see articles about anti-trans legislation being passed and the mistreatment transgender people are currently experiencing, such as the inability to get medical care. Depending on your choices, these articles can change, showing how a small choice can have a big impact.
The game and its developer have received a ton of attention online, both good and bad. At the time of writing, you can’t get to the game’s page without a password, meaning the game is currently unavailable to download. The game has received a lot of negative attention on YouTube, with certain creators making fun of it rather than trying to understand the point of view of the developer and why they made Hogwarts Legacy Purchase Simulator in the first place.
