Some Harry Potter game developers rattled by J.K. Rowling backlash

The studio’s management has not addressed recent comments from Rowling that were widely viewed as transphobic, the people said. The situation made some members of the team uncomfortable and sparked private discussions among staff over the pandemic water cooler, the workplace communication app Slack. — AP

One of the most anticipated video games is one whose existence has yet to be acknowledged by its publisher, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. It’s a big-budget Harry Potter game that will let players role-play as wizards and roam a vast, open-world re-creation of Hogwarts and its surrounding areas.

The long-rumoured project is very real, according to two people currently working on it. The game is in development at a Warner Bros.-owned studio, Avalanche Software in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is scheduled for release late next year for platforms including the upcoming Sony Corp PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Corp Xbox Series X, said the people, who requested anonymity over fears they would be fired for speaking publicly about an unannounced game.