Can You Pet The Dog Refuses To Be Associated With Hogwarts Legacy
There are dark rumblings in the Wizarding World, and while Avalanche Software finally lifting the Invisibility Cloak on Hogwarts Legacy should be good news, the game is caught up in its own controversy.
With pre-orders flying in (as long as they haven't been cancelled), Hogwarts Legacy is racing toward its February 10 release like a Golden Snitch. Despite its popularity and soaring to the top of the charts, there's a vocal community refusing to play.
Why Is Can You Pet The Dog Boycotting Hogwarts Legacy?
By now, we're sure you've all heard of Twitter account, "Can You Pet the Dog?" This adorable account trawls through games ranging from AAA releases to tiny indies to find out if you can "pet the dog."
More than just petting pooches, a whole variety of other animals are vying for your attention in video games, meaning @CanYouPetTheDog has grown to cover all kinds of creatures.
Hogwarts Legacy is on the marketing assault right now, and with its own batch of cute beasties asking to be petted, it jumped on Can You Pet the Dog's bandwagon.
When the Hogwarts Legacy previews started flooding in (check out ours below), the account HarryPotterFilm confirmed that you can stroke cats in Hogwarts Legacy and tagged @CanYouPetTheDog.
In the quote tweets, creator Tristan Cooper said this was "a new low for CYPTD." Cooper added that he's put "so much time into something that people like, only for it to be absorbed into the marketing machine."
Cooper argued that the game benefits divisive author J.K. Rowling, who he then described as "an abominable TERF."
Although Cooper went on to praise the hard-working team and said the Hogwarts Legacy animation looks great, he concluded with a parting jibe against Rowling:
"In the end the game lines the pockets of an awful yet powerful bigot who is at the forefront of the recent rise in trans hate. I just can't see how that's in any way redeemable."
Hogwarts Legacy Director Addresses Game Controversy
Only recently, one streamer set up a campaign for gamers to donate the cost of Hogwarts Legacy to trans-support causes, while Warner Bros. Interactive has previously addressed the issue of inclusion in-game.
Now, Game Director Alan Tew has spoken about diversity in an interview with IGN. Rowling is never mentioned by name, nor is there a direct mention of the transgender controversy.
Tew said, "We know that's a diverse audience. For us, it's making sure that the audience, who always dreamed of having this game, had the opportunity to feel welcomed back."
When pushed on whether he had second thoughts bout working on Hogwarts Legacy after Rowling made headlines, Tew apparently paused and reiterated an earlier statement that the game was made for everyone.
Whatever your thoughts on Hogwarts Legacy, we're betting Can You Pet the Dog won't be playing.
