Game reviewers boycott publisher CGE, for publishing more Harry Potter branded products
Game reviewers boycott publisher CGE, for publishing more Harry Potter branded products
Reviewers including No Pun Included, Shut Up & Sit Down boycott Codenames publisher CGE for releasing new Harry Potter game while ignoring JK Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric -
CGE faced an immediate online backlash after unveiling Codenames: Back to Hogwarts on social media site BlueSky on July 23, with the announcement receiving hundreds of responses attacking the decision before the Codenames account locked comments, and switched off the function allowing users to share the post alongside their own remarks.
The continued online criticism intensified two days later when CGE released a short statement attempting to justify its decision to release the game – which was panned for going out of its way to avoid mentioning Harry Potter or JK Rowling by name.
That statement also immediately came under fire online for its attempt to separate the art from the artist, while failing to address that Rowling – a dollar billionaire thanks to Harry Potter – has used financial proceeds from her creation to directly fund organisations attempting to strip trans people of their rights.
If Hogwarts Legacy told me anything, it’s that this unfortunately accomplishes nothing and most HP fans in the best case either don’t care or in the worst case even align with JKRs views.
In this case though, it's professional reviewers who are boycotting CGE, the publisher. Reviews are pretty important in the boardgame industry as a form of marketing, so this does have the potential to accomplish something.
Let‘s hope
Yeah, it was well received anyway.
Legacy literally has an explicitly trans npc in it.
That's just weird. Why? Did someone actually believe that'd be enough to get people on side? Considering her reputation, that's not a decision made on a whim. Did someone sneak it in under Joanne's nose or did she just not give a fuck?