That’s perfectly reasonable, I’m just agog at the thought of banning people for merely talking about the game. My guess is there must be some backstory there, like a months-long massive flamewar that had to be extinguished via drastic measures.
I mean, they only allow one heavily moderated Cyberpunk thread because stuff. I just go there in case news pops up.
I think it’s rather reductive and easy to dismiss the game’s pre-release sales success as resting on the shoulders of internet trolls. Are they out there, and are they super-vocal about their shitty worldview? Absolutely.
But in all honesty, for the last few weeks while I’ve been working on a project for work that isn’t very exciting, I’ve needed something playing in the background to stay focused, and being interested in the game because of my pre-2020 enjoyment of the world and the books, I’ve been checking out videos on youtube and have had them playing in the background, all from the Harry Potter community of fans (and also fans of open world games, of RPGs, etc.) and I think I can say with some level of certitude that the reason the game is getting a lot of prerelease sales (and hype) is genuine affection for the characters and setting, especially from people who found affection for the works prior to its author’s harmful, toxic buffoonery.
Anyway. New trailer just dropped. And I still have no idea if this thing is going to be any good.
I didn’t dismiss anything. That’s just…time to mute this thread too I guess. Just pointing out that unfortunate bullshit. Have a good one.
It wasn’t you that I was referencing, but rather a larger social media presence who are taking a stand against the game (which, good on them, I suppose) and have expressed that one of the reasons it is garnering so much pre-release interest is based upon trollish behavior. My apologies if it seemed otherwise.
The troll brigades do generate a lot of noise, but the game genuinely looks gorgeous from a world-building perspective, much like CP2077. Much like that game, the gameplay seems much less absorbing. And unlike Night City, millions of people have fond memories of Hogwarts from the extremely popular books and movies.
Like I said earlier, it’s either going to be a gigantic hit or a notable failure well-worth discussing.
Yeah, it’s absolutely a huge task that a studio like Avalanche Software have set for themselves, particularly given how far outside their pedigree this sort of open world experience seems to be. I don’t feel quite as many negative trepidations as I might if, say, it was Cyanide doing the game, but it’s definitely in that ballpark.
They have a distinct advantage in their worldbuilding, which at least from what I’ve seen in previews, is unparalleled indoors. The loving attention to detail, variety, and (from what people say) commitment to the exact descriptions in the books and movie sets is just superb. I really do think people are going to buy this just to explore the place they wish they grew up.
The gameplay is to pull in people like me, not Harry Potter fans. They’re in already.
Yeah, this is a game that I’m been wanting to play for decades.
Same here.
And I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and the publisher and devs were in on this before Rowling became so vocal about her shitty views. Rowling isn’t the ONLY one who’s gonna make money off this. If it winds up genuinely being a good Harry Potter game, the publisher and devs deserve their share of my purchase.
It’s a lot like my love for things Joss created, even though he’s apparently a shitbag. It’s not all about him, though. The other writers were incredibly important, and the rest of the crew, but most of all the actors who brought those roles to life.
There’s more to it than just the person who birthed the idea.
The other thing to me is that the message of the books is one distinctly contrary to her own current statements.
It’s the choices you make and the friends you stand by, and who stand by you which count, not something different you were born as…
As such, I have no problem with supporting the franchise message, which will be around long after he words are irrelevant and medical science has trans surgery as common as plastic surgery.
Edit. I can even make the argument that Harry undergoes a metaphorical trans-operation, WRT to being V’s 8’th Horcrux, and using the Resurrection Stone to remove that part of himself after fighting so long against the Heir of Slytherin side of himself (“you would have done well in Slytherin…”)
Keep in mind too that a lot of people who love the story world and might want to play a game set there do not follow Internet flame wars, and probably do not know much about Rowling’s statements at all. Not everyone follows things as intently as we do, and I’m sure a lot of the pre-release support is coming from folks who quite understandably want what looks to be a really cool romp through Hogwarts.
Only sort of half-following the hype for this game, and having just re-started the Mad Max game from 2015 on a whim, this was a fun little mental rollercoaster.
I got excited because I was just wondering what Avalanche was up to these days!
And then I discovered Avalanche Studios, who made Mad Max (based on a licensed property for WB), is not Avalanche Software, who are making Hogwarts Legacy (based on a licensed property for WB). Who’da thunk!
Avalanche Software did a whole buncha Disney games, including Disney Infinity, before getting acquired by WB. It kinda makes sense in a “does IP compliant work on spec” background.
Avalanche Studios is working on Contraband for Xbox.
Ahh, didn’t realize that myself! Looking back through their oeuvre, I haven’t played any Avalanche Software games in the 27 year history of the studio. Lots of licensed stuff. Anyway, this game is looking lovely.
Yeah, everyone should check out this post upthread. That’s how I discovered what Avalanche Software had done.
I grew up a huge HP fan, read the books with my little brother, massive part of my childhood.
Game sounds awesome and fun.
It is a damn shame I won’t be playing it. I am not going to shame anyone else for buying it, but if JK is making a penny off of it, I just can’t put my money in her hands.
They are children. I’d wager that no flamewar ever happened, just the mere fact that JKR is a TERFherder makes discussion of anything JKR related bannable or at least warningable because posters could get offended.
Mind you, I’m not defending JKR and I’m not disparaging those who are offended by her bullshit. But folks should still be able to discuss things in a reasonable, respectful way without fear of being kicked off the forum. Hell, we’re doing it right here. And we do it regularly in P&R.
Warner Brothers must be so frustrated with the whole IP. A mega brand sitting under their umbrella, billions waiting to be tapped, and they can’t get a decent film series out, no television or (third party or otherwise) book spinoffs, no comic books, just some past poorly reviewed games… and an upcoming AAA pour-their-heart-into-it effort that their celebrity creator goes and throws a wrench into the gears.
I found terribly ironic that they banned Cyberpunk threads and news because it has a fictional ingame ad that (through some bad faith, ignoring the context of a dystopic setting) could be interpreted as anti-trans, when it’s one of the very few games with actual trans representation (the barwoman npc with the racing sidequests).