Games Done Quick (GDQ), the hugely popular and charitable speedrunning event, has revealed that it will not allow speedruns of the newly released Hogwarts Legacy or any other Harry Potter games. While no official reason or explanation has been given, its clear to anyone whos been following the situation that it is likely due to the series’ connection with its controversial author JK Rowling, who’s come under fire recently due to her transphobic comments that have been a dark cloud over the Harry Potter franchise for a few years. Other “Disallowed games” include the original God of War and the Five Nights at Freddy’s Series.
Related: 5 LGBTQ+ developed games to play instead of Hogwarts Legacy
GDQ is a biannual charity live stream event featuring speed runs of video games that raise money for multiple charities such as the Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. It also hosts several smaller streams and events for other charitable causes throughout the year. The organization has featured several trans streamers and speedrunners and recently canceled an event in Florida following the state’s continued efforts to pass anti-LGBT+ legislation. So, it is no surprise that the organization would not want to have any association with the series or its author.
This is just the newest story and controversy surrounding Hogwarts Legacy in recent weeks. Since its reveal in 2020, developers Avalanche Software has tried to distance itself from the author, but it has done little to quell fan backlash despite their best effort, such as including diverse gender and skin option in the game. Before its release, there were calls for a boycott of the game, with some groups such as KRITIQAL even releasing game bundles to encourage players to support LGBTQ+-fronted games and media. Despite these efforts, the game has been hugely successful, becoming Steam’s top-selling game even before launch.
