Like many, I’ve been waiting for a truly excellent Harry Potter game
since I was in the third grade. In that time, we’ve gotten some –
The elephant in the room with Hogwarts Legacy is Harry Potter’s creator, J.K. Rowling, whose comments about transgender people in recent years
have left a sour taste in the mouths of many current and former Potter
fans, both at IGN and in the world at large. This has driven some to call
for a boycott of the Wizarding World altogether – including Hogwarts Legacy, though Rowling was not directly involved and there are good
reasons (both in-game and out) to believe the developers at Avalanche
don’t necessarily share her views. Regardless, IGN has always and will continue to champion human rights causes and support people speaking with their wallets in whatever manner they choose.
As critics, our job is to answer the question of whether or not we find Hogwarts Legacy to be fun to play and why; whether it’s ethical to play
is a separate but still very important question. So just as in virtually
all cases, we’re choosing to expose and address the views of the
franchise creator separately from our consideration of the work of the hundreds of game developers and evaluate Hogwarts Legacy as it stands, leaving behind-the-scenes context to be considered in addition to that evaluation, rather than in place of it, so that it can be weighted
according to your own values.
Around lunchtime Friday, one of the largest and most influential gaming websites, IGN, published an article called “How to Help Palestinian Civilians.” The article noted “Palestinian civilians are currently suffering in great numbers in Jerusalem, Gaza, and West Bank, due to
Israeli forces.” It was a short post, in line with similar articles IGN
has done in the last year related to raising awareness for Black Lives Matter, COVID-19, Asian American hate crimes, and more. Similar articles
also quickly appeared at both Game Informer and GameSpot.
Over the weekend, the IGN article and its corresponding tweet were
quietly deleted. The same fate soon followed for Game Informer’s article. It is rare for publications to remove articles without making note of the change. But both were removed without any notice or announcement or
update. They just disappeared. GameSpot’s, however, has stayed up.
IGN and its parent company, J2 Global, did not respond to a request for comment about this weekend’s events, nor did Game Informer’s parent company, GameStop.
Speculation and conspiracy theories broke in the absence of a real explanation, only aided by the lack of commentary by IGN’s typically
chatty and very online editorial staff. IGN broke its silence at 2:20
a.m. Eastern Time Monday, releasing a statement that said “by
highlighting only one population, the post mistakenly left the impression that we were politically aligned with one side” and it was “not our intention and we sincerely regret the error.”
Across IGN, our hearts are heavy as we follow the *events* in Israel, Palestine, and across the region.
Our first thought is always for the broader IGN community – our
employees, readers, and partners – and our hopes for their safety and well-being.
We have a track record of supporting humanitarian efforts and charities across the globe. In the instance of our recent post regarding how to
help civilians in the Israel-Palestinian Conflict, our philanthropic instincts to help those in need was not in-line with our intent of
*trying to show support for all people impacted by tragic events.* By highlighting only one population, the post mistakenly left the impression that we were politically aligned on one side. That was not our intention
and we sincerely regret the error.
We do intend to continue to use our platforms and resources to aid those civilian lives impacted across the entire area. As part of this effort,
we have made a donation of $25k to Save The Children, an organization
that works to support children everywhere and *provides emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.*
Thank you for your support and for always engaging with us. Our community
is a huge part of what makes IGN special. We will continue to follow
global events and look for ways to lend our support in productive, helpful ways.
At a contentious staff meeting this morning, three IGN employees told Waypoint that IGN executive vice president and COO Peer Schneider was peppered with questions about the post coming down. Who actually removed
it? Why did they decide to remove it? One employee said Schneider did not respond with specifics, and argued the issue was the charity article
choosing a side in an ongoing *“war.” (He was specific to use the word “war” multiple times.)* Another employee asked if IGN’s parent company, *J2 Global, was motivated by financial investments in Israel*, which reportedly Schneider could not answer.
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