Open-world RPG Hogwarts Legacy is breaking viewership records on Twitch despite loud calls for boycotting the game due to its association with J.K. Rowling, who has made her transphobic views clear in the past. You can read details on this issue in our Hogwarts Legacy controversy explainer.
Boycotting Hogwarts Legacy is obviously not working as well as intended so far, with almost half a million players already exploring 1800s Hogwarts during the game’s early access period, which is available to anyone pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition. Another huge influx of players, streamers, and viewers is to be expected with the official release on February 10, 2023.
In the face of the boycott’s ineffectiveness, opponents of the game have turned to a different method of making their displeasure known: they’re posting spoilers about the story on social media, using common hashtags like #HogwartsLegacy that are associated with the title.
It’s a funny reincarnation of the popular “Snape kills Dumbledore” spoiler story from 2005, when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released. People would scan the page describing the scene and post it on the internet, which was later parodied far and wide, becoming a meme in its own right.
While spoilers aren’t a big deal to some people, others playing through Hogwarts Legacy are annoyed by having the story’s twists revealed to them prematurely, saying it ruins their enjoyment of the game. Of course, that’s entirely the point of it at all for those posting them.
Naturally, the act of posting spoilers and the reactions to it hasn’t exactly improved the heated debate surrounding the game.
Anyone looking to play through Hogwarts Legacy without getting spoiled should stay away from social media for the time being.
You can also read our Hogwarts Legacy review and Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough for more information on the game.
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