Hogwarts Legacy senior producer Troy Leavitt, a game dev who used to make anti-feminist and pro gamer-gate videos (staff post added)(Up: Resigns)

[texhnolyze]

What's with these gaming outlets with the term "Anti-Social Justice"? What the hell.

Avengers is a huge IP too and that game bombed.

If any game deserves it it's this one.

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It didn't exactly bomb. It sold pretty well at launch, in fact. It simply doesn't continue to sell and retain the users as they hoped for. Service games need users for the majority of their revenue stream over the months/years.

 

[Multievolution]

it's just rough cause many of these people bending over backwards to defend playing this game will immediately go sicko mode the second they announce the monetization plans, the live-service elements or when it launches running at less than a flawless 60fps. Priorities am I right?

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It sadly seems to be the norm for people to look past important issues as long as they don't impact themselves, I get the need to distance yourself from some of the horrors the world has at times, but this scenario is an important one, those who have a position of power have as cliche as it sounds a responsibility and J.K. and this Troy have again and again abused their position to spread hateful and dangerous rhetorical not only to those who follow them potentially spreading misinformation but all the millions of people victimised daily, that's not something that can or should ever be overlooked,

This is a game at the end of the day, it should be treated as such, I myself couldn't in good faith sit there and enjoy this game knowing that it's proceeds help spread such dangerous beliefs, we all have our own choices to make but I do feel even as naive as I am on this subject dismissing it is wrong, sadly with as big a franchise as this there's going to be people who are even more naive to all of this, there's also those who will simply ignore the problem because as stated earlier it doesn't personally effect them, the least we who are not directly effected can do when made aware of such situations is not support them and state so publicly.

Speaking from a position of privilege from which I was born I truly am sorry others with such privilege have decided to use their position to effectively attempt to silence you and spread such hate, trans rights are human rights, you deserve better than to be dismissed over someone's entertainment "entitlement"

and yes like many have said at one time this would of been a dream game for me too, but what good is a dream that supports hate? None at all I say.

 

[The Benz]

His newest like:

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And these are some of his older likes:







Fucking embarrassing. I really wish Kotaku had mentioned the white nationalists he's following as well.

 

[Dmax3901]

All but expecting footage of him at the Capitol to turn up at this point.

 

[Surakian]

What's with these gaming outlets with the term "Anti-Social Justice"? What the hell.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I wish they hadn't used that term and just spelled it out plain. Makes it easier for these pieces of trash to dismiss the entire thing as SJW nonsense and scream their support. Maybe labeling it "misogynistic, racist, and transphobic beliefs" would have triggered less blatant responses, but at least some genuine debate could be had on those articles against all of the dog-whistling that would have cropped up instead.

But now we gotta hear all of the tools scream "SJWs ARE RUINING GAMES" and you can't argue against that sort of nonsense in any meaningful way.

 

[Polyh3dron]

*taps sign*

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perfection.gif

 

[Candescence]

Bloody hell when did this series become cursed? It's like an actual wizard with a grudge cursed the entire franchise sometime after the last book came out and now not only is the main author who wrote the books a complete shithead, WB can't make a good expanded universe film to save their lives, and now this happens to the first notable non-mobile Potterverse video game in years.

But the fact that WB is willing to hire people like this means they won't be seeing any of my money anytime soon. Not a problem, though, not like they're putting out anything genuinely interesting anytime soon (either that or stuff that might've been interesting had it not been tainted with live service bullshit).

 

[Toxi]

Jesus Christ. The dude is like at least in his mid-forties and I believe he's got at least school aged kids. I always pictured gamer gaters as angry teens or young twenties incels that couldn't get laid. How the fuck do you get like forty years old with a family and seriously waste all that breath going after a couple young women who've already been doxxed and harassed and threatened with their lives and feel like you're the good guy? If I was his kids I'd be fucking embarrassed. I hope he doesn't have any daughters. That dude needs to grow up.

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People keep saying this, but in my experience the young rightwing shitheads are always eased into the cult by the old rightwing shitheads in online fandom.

 

[Unrivaled]

I haven't looked much into this game and don't currently have a ps5. That being said, I am a huge Harry Potter fan but am very disgusted by JK rowling and company.

That being said was talking to a group of friends and all of them said they will for sure be buying the game. I asked if they had second thoughts considering the JK Rowling thing and none of them had any idea what I was talking about and never heard the news about her views.

I guess this means a lot of fans don't know anything about her views? I was genuinely shocked they were clueless but I guess if it wasn't for this site I wouldn't know either probably. They are all torn now as they are huge Harry Potter fans but don't want to support her after reading the articles about her.

 

[Hakunon]

Yeah I don't like how the Kotaku article downplayed his channel by calling it anti-SJW when it is clearly more than that.

 

[guybrushfreeman]

I really think it should be possible to at least ban promotional threads for the game here. No trailers or hype threads should be really be the minimum when senior people affiliated with the game are actively using that promotion to spread hate and prejudice.

 

[sirap]

Boy Kotaku really dropped the ball with that headline.

 

[NekoNeko]

Avengers is a huge IP too and that game bombed.

If any game deserves it it's this one.

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it didn't bomb at all. it sold very well on name hype alone then died out because it wasn't any good.
i assume this will do similiarly.

 

[ghostcrew]

Jesus Christ. The dude is like at least in his mid-forties and I believe he's got at least school aged kids. I always pictured gamer gaters as angry teens or young twenties incels that couldn't get laid. How the fuck do you get like forty years old with a family and seriously waste all that breath going after a couple young women who've already been doxxed and harassed and threatened with their lives and feel like you're the good guy?

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Totally anecdotal but, in my experience, the younger folks I know are far more progressive and don't give a shit about sexuality, gender or anything. They're, by and large, accepting and growing up surrounded by conversation of these topics being more and more the norm.

It's your 30 years and up, adults, who've grown up without these conversations that are the intolerant, quick to be an asshole types.

Totally anecdotal and there are GGer kids of course. Just have to remember that all of this stuff was kicking off ten years or so ago so those 'kids' from back then are probably late twenties/early thirties now and still angry shits.

 

[Rover_]

fuck this franchise and fuck WB Games for not firing this piece of garbage already.

better yet, the "poor devs who don't support JKR and this shithead" should make a stance already but i would not be surprised if the studio is a thriving place for this.

 

[krazen]

You're always going to have pieces of shit like that in organizations, the real problem here is his whole 'They know I am a activist for bigotry on the side, they just didn't care' at the organizational level and giving him a cushy career defining job to boot effectively rewarding him.

At this point, all I can hope for is the lack of faith of the H.P. brand in gaming (since past licenses haven't set the world on fire), the author shitting the bed for the past few years, and this nonsense keeps away the groundswell of hype they need to meet the insane numbers they have internally and promised all the stakeholders. Your online chuds are going to promise to buy 8 copies each out of spite, but they won't. And while I am sure that WB/UB will try their best to nuke a story like this from the mainstream, the general fatigue of the brand from the main public and hopefully the indifference of a wide part of the gaming community (lack of streams and positive conversation surrounding it due to these shenanigans) ends up being a flop since they expected more sales than moms buying it for their kids who are bored at home (also, i wonder if the HP wave is as popping with the new generation of kids)

 

[deepFlaw]

it's just rough cause many of these people bending over backwards to defend playing this game will immediately go sicko mode the second they announce the monetization plans, the live-service elements or when it launches running at less than a flawless 60fps. Priorities am I right?

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Oh that is certainly the thing. Just like Cyberpunk, they'll flip on in it in a second if there's anything they perceive as a problem.

Though for better or worse I think it's more likely that it's just a kinda mediocre licensed game? Feel like it won't live up their hype at all, and will likely fade from discussion sooner rather than later despite how big it theoretically is, but still be able to coast by on that. Though maybe it'll have framerate issues or like... weird handling of how students appear/disappear or something, that kind of weird specific thing that people get worked up over, dunno. Guess we'll see.

I haven't looked much into this game and don't currently have a ps5. That being said, I am a huge Harry Potter fan but am very disgusted by JK rowling and company.

That being said was talking to a group of friends and all of them said they will for sure be buying the game. I asked if they had second thoughts considering the JK Rowling thing and none of them had any idea what I was talking about and never heard the news about her views.

I guess this means a lot of fans don't know anything about her views? I was genuinely shocked they were clueless but I guess if it wasn't for this site I wouldn't know either probably. They are all torn now as they are huge Harry Potter fans but don't want to support her after reading the articles about her.

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I think there are people who are big fans but not actively in the fandom, so to speak, who might not be hearing much about her. That being said, there are big mainstream sites openly talking about her negatively at this point, so I'd still think a lot more people have heard about it than you might expect.

Good on you on telling them and them for, if nothing else, already being conflicted about it, I guess.

 

[StereoVSN]

I haven't looked much into this game and don't currently have a ps5. That being said, I am a huge Harry Potter fan but am very disgusted by JK rowling and company.

That being said was talking to a group of friends and all of them said they will for sure be buying the game. I asked if they had second thoughts considering the JK Rowling thing and none of them had any idea what I was talking about and never heard the news about her views.

I guess this means a lot of fans don't know anything about her views? I was genuinely shocked they were clueless but I guess if it wasn't for this site I wouldn't know either probably. They are all torn now as they are huge Harry Potter fans but don't want to support her after reading the articles about her.

Click to shrink...

You would be super surprised how many people have no clue about JK's views. I know whole bunch of parents whose kids are into Harry Potter and nobody has any ideas of her stance. Even with more mainstream publications talking about Rowling, to a lot of people this is not something they are aware of.

 

[ClickyCal']

We have to remember what we consider mainstream....and what is actually mainstream. Kotaku or Polygon aren't going to reach out to adults or long time HP fans, or even kids and just people that don't follow all the news about the IP and JK online.

 

[ced]

Well the other important thing I learned in this thread is that this game is by Avalanche Software, not Avalanche Studios Group.

We all know Avalanche Studios as the dev of Just Cause, Mad Max and Rage 2.

Avalanche Software is best known (or unknown) from a bunch of low budget Disney games.

 

[BoxScar]

WB is clearly trying to make the game as close to the source material as possible by letting someone who spouts hot garbage direct it.

Jokes aside, is there anything WB can do to dismiss this guy if they wanted to? Anyone know about emplyment law in the US?

 

[Trey]

Bloody hell when did this series become cursed? It's like an actual wizard with a grudge cursed the entire franchise sometime after the last book came out and now not only is the main author who wrote the books a complete shithead, WB can't make a good expanded universe film to save their lives, and now this happens to the first notable non-mobile Potterverse video game in years.

But the fact that WB is willing to hire people like this means they won't be seeing any of my money anytime soon. Not a problem, though, not like they're putting out anything genuinely interesting anytime soon (either that or stuff that might've been interesting had it not been tainted with live service bullshit).

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Cursed? The very DNA of Harry Potter encourages and/or promotes a lot of this rhetoric lmao

 

[Kyuuji]

We have to remember what we consider mainstream....and what is actually mainstream. Kotaku or Polygon aren't going to reach out to adults or long time HP fans, or even kids and just people that don't follow all the news about the IP and JK online.

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If you're just talking about the game, for sure. In general though her views have hit most mainstream news publications in the UK. The issue is that the mainstream press in the UK is also largely transphobic, so it often just gets reported as her expressing "concerns" over things with a sympathetic tone.

 

[ClickyCal']

If you're just talking about the game, for sure. In general though her views have hit most mainstream news publications in the UK. The issue is that the mainstream press in the UK is also largely transphobic, so it often just gets reported as her expressing "concerns" over things with a sympathetic tone.

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Yea I kind of meant more with the game, but that is true about the UK at least. If talking the US though, idk if even JK's shit really is a widely known thing yet still.

 

[vixolus]

fuck this franchise and fuck WB Games for not firing this piece of garbage already.

better yet, the "poor devs who don't support JKR and this shithead" should make a stance already but i would not be surprised if the studio is a thriving place for this.

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Maybe other devs have made a stance about it privately with HR or directors, or whomever. If they want to make it public, they can choose to do so.

 

[Kyuuji]

Yea I kind of meant more with the game, but that is true about the UK at least. If talking the US though, idk if even JK's shit really is a widely known thing yet still.

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Yeh, I would assume the general level of awareness would be lower in the US. Even despite that though she's still managed to have lawmakers cite her in proposing anti-trans legislation there, in addition to whatever her fans have absorbed via following her. That's the insidious thing with the IP at this point; fans of will be drawn to Rowling and give weight to her words. People who have little experience of trans people or our identities will take her words and positions as fact, which then poisons their views on trans topics and issues. Furthermore, a significant number who have a personal attachment to the IP will feel an impulse to defend her when people criticise her, as they're unaware of how repulsive the things she's done (and continues to do) are.

Speaking more to the overt, the majority of her damage has been in the UK, where she's had a significant and damaging impact on public discourse, perception and laws regarding healthcare access and rights. Which is also where, I can only guess, the majority of reporting around it has also been. When coupled with the press and leading political parties either being transphobic themselves or tolerant of transphobic opinion then it's not often understood by the public to be the vile position it is. Especially when most are willing to extend a sympathetic line toward her.

Much like the WB Interactive Entertainment it's too often given the cover of harmless opinion. As opposed to fronting a charge in making life more inaccessible and hostile for trans people here.

 

[TJ_Electronica]

Whole lot of yikes on this. Between this and all the JKR terf stuff this game is a shitshow.

 

[Lausebub]

Since I have seen his videos posted here a few times and Hoeg Laws bad take on this. He thinks people like Troy who have ideas you disagree with shouldn't be canceled and GG has some sexist people in it, but there take on gaming journalism is spot on. We even get namedrop at the end.

Not endorsing these views, just wanted to make people aware, that he is a shithead.

MOD EDIT: Video with GamerGate apologism removed.

 

[TissueBox]

I see. Good luck everyone!

 

[Kyuuji]

"transphobia is a good thing"

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Since I have seen his videos posted here a few times and Hoeg Laws bad take on this, people like Troy who have ideas you disagree with shouldn't be canceled
and GG has some sexist people in it, but there take on gaming journalism is spot on. We even get namedrop at the end.


MOD EDIT: Video with GamerGate apologism removed.

Click to shrink...

This video is indefensible.

-Doesn't even acknowledge the trans community or any of the comments/action of Rowling
-Doesn't acknowledge that buying the game further funds her attacks on the trans community
-Writes off her words and actions as "a difference of opinion"
-Mocks era for suggesting that we ban discussions of the game
-Writes off gamergate harassment as a handful of bad apples that gamergate can't be held responsible for
-Pretends like conservatives are being attacked simply for being conservative and not for their bigoted views
-People with "differing opinions" just need to have a conversation! So i guess trans people just need to talk it out with JK rowling and women just need to talk it out with gamer gaters i guess?
-Shouts out neogaf
-High fives Colin Moriarty in his twitter replies to the video

My goodness.

 

[Beth Cyra]

This video is indefensible.

-Doesn't even acknowledge the trans community or any of the comments/action of Rowling
-Doesn't acknowledge that buying the game further funds her attacks on the trans community
-Writes off her words and actions as "a difference of opinion"
-Mocks era for suggesting that we ban discussions of the game
-Writes off gamergate harassment as a handful of bad apples that gamergate can't be held responsible for
-Pretends like conservatives are being attacked simply for being conservative and not for their bigoted views
-Shouts out neogaf
-High fives Colin Moriarty in his twitter replies to the video

My goodness.

Click to shrink...

I will never understand how Trans People just wanting to not be demonized and left alone is something you can have an opinion against

Like really, when you say it's a difference of opinion your "opinion" is that we shouldn't be allowed to be just an everyday person who goes on with our lives in peace.

 

[Ragnarok Flames]

This video is indefensible.

-Doesn't even acknowledge the trans community or any of the comments/action of Rowling
-Doesn't acknowledge that buying the game further funds her attacks on the trans community
-Writes off her words and actions as "a difference of opinion"
-Mocks era for suggesting that we ban discussions of the game
-Writes off gamergate harassment as a handful of bad apples that gamergate can't be held responsible for
-Pretends like conservatives are being attacked simply for being conservative and not for their bigoted views
-Shouts out neogaf
-High fives Colin Moriarty in his twitter replies to the video

My goodness.

Click to shrink...

colin "model minority myth believer" moriarty

 

[Zips]

This video is indefensible.

-Doesn't even acknowledge the trans community or any of the comments/action of Rowling
-Doesn't acknowledge that buying the game further funds her attacks on the trans community
-Writes off her words and actions as "a difference of opinion"
-Mocks era for suggesting that we ban discussions of the game
-Writes off gamergate harassment as a handful of bad apples that gamergate can't be held responsible for
-Pretends like conservatives are being attacked simply for being conservative and not for their bigoted views
-People with "differing opinions" just need to have a conversation! So i guess trans people just need to talk it out with JK rowling and women just need to talk it out with gamer gaters i guess?
-Shouts out neogaf
-High fives Colin Moriarty in his twitter replies to the video

My goodness.

Click to shrink...

Well that saved me from giving this a view.

Dude really needs to get his head out of his ass.

 

[ConVito]

Since I have seen his videos posted here a few times and Hoeg Laws bad take on this, people like Troy who have ideas you disagree with shouldn't be canceled
and GG has some sexist people in it, but there take on gaming journalism is spot on. We even get namedrop at the end.


MOD EDIT: Video with GamerGate apologism removed.

Click to shrink...

I can't tell if you're supporting this video or mocking it, but I really hope "GG has some sexist people in it, but there take on gaming journalism is spot on" is just meant as a gag.

 

[Kyuuji]

Perhaps Hoeg's Law should be an adage for feeling a need to make increasingly asinine takes the longer your video goes on. Since 'intolerance of misogyny is the real toxicity' and 'transphobia is beneficial to society' seem to be particularly creative in their stupidity.

 

[i like big butts]

Gaming journalism is bad but basically none of GG's so-called grievances with gaming journalism is really relevant to the actual problems.

That video is a great example of the typical conservative game of completely misrepresenting everything while hiding behind FACTS and LOGIC.

 

[vhoanox]

Gaming journalism is bad but basically none of GG's so-called grievances with gaming journalism is really relevant to the actual problems.

That video is a great example of the typical conservative game of completely misrepresenting everything while hiding behind FACTS and LOGIC.

Click to shrink...

Yeah they usually jump through hoops to prove gamergate is worth something because gaming journalism is bad ....

 

[ZeoVGM]

Since I have seen his videos posted here a few times and Hoeg Laws bad take on this, people like Troy who have ideas you disagree with shouldn't be canceled
and GG has some sexist people in it, but there take on gaming journalism is spot on.

Click to shrink...

No.

 

[onpoint]

colin "model minority myth believer" moriarty

Click to shrink...

Can I please have some context for this.

 

[Alucrid]

Can I please have some context for this.

Click to shrink...

luckily you cannot because his shit is not given a platform here

 

[ZeoVGM]

Can I please have some context for this.

Click to shrink...

Without going into it too much, Colin has a history of racism such as thinking racism doesn't exist because Asians.

mod edit: please don't post anything from this person here

 

[vhoanox]

No.

Click to shrink...

There is a pattern for these signal booting tactics.
Check the video, this youtuber totally "spot on" about this thing, maybe other disgusting things they say must be worth listening to.

 

[ZeoVGM]

There is a pattern for these signal booting tactics.
Check the video, this youtuber totally "spot on" about this thing, maybe other disgusting things they say must be worth listening to.

Click to shrink...

"Hey, I saw this video on YouTube! Dunno if it's true but it makes ya think!"

 

[ClickyCal']

Yeh, I would assume the general level of awareness would be lower in the US. Even despite that though she's still managed to have lawmakers cite her in proposing anti-trans legislation there, in addition to whatever her fans have absorbed via following her. That's the insidious thing with the IP at this point; fans of will be drawn to Rowling and give weight to her words. People who have little experience of trans people or our identities will take her words and positions as fact, which then poisons their views on trans topics and issues. Furthermore, a significant number who have a personal attachment to the IP will feel an impulse to defend her when people criticise her, as they're unaware of how repulsive the things she's done (and continues to do) are.

Speaking more to the overt, the majority of her damage has been in the UK, where she's had a significant and damaging impact on public discourse, perception and laws regarding healthcare access and rights. Which is also where, I can only guess, the majority of reporting around it has also been. When coupled with the press and leading political parties either being transphobic themselves or tolerant of transphobic opinion then it's not often understood by the public to be the vile position it is. Especially when most are willing to extend a sympathetic line toward her.

Much like the WB Interactive Entertainment it's too often given the cover of harmless opinion. As opposed to fronting a charge in making life more inaccessible and hostile for trans people here.

Click to shrink...

Yea, in the big picture it's just all bad of course. JK's shit gets lets coverage here, but then that is double edged because it won't have the same negative major effects, but can also have people support her and the IP unknowingly.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

Since I have seen his videos posted here a few times and Hoeg Laws bad take on this, people like Troy who have ideas you disagree with shouldn't be canceled
and GG has some sexist people in it, but there take on gaming journalism is spot on. We even get namedrop at the end.

MOD EDIT: Video with GamerGate apologism removed.

Click to shrink...

w h a t

Can I please have some context for this.

Click to shrink...

Colin is alt-right scum, that's your context.

 

[onpoint]

Without going into it too much, Colin has a history of racism such as thinking racism doesn't exist because Asians.

mod edit: please don't post anything from this person here

Click to shrink...

Thank you. I will not ask more questions

 

[ZeoVGM]

Thank you. I will not ask more questions

Click to shrink...

Mmhm.

Meanwhile, a couple years later:

Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise

Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise, with more than 3,000 hate incidents directed at Asian Americans recorded since the start of the pandemic. Major Garrett reports.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[onpoint]

Mmhm.

Meanwhile, a couple years later:

Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise

Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise, with more than 3,000 hate incidents directed at Asian Americans recorded since the start of the pandemic. Major Garrett reports.

www.cbsnews.com

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm with you. I'm banging my head against a wall here learning all of this.

 

[entrydenied]

No.

Click to shrink...

I can't believe people still think GG had any good opinions on what game journalism should be when a 8/10 for a game they like meant sending death threats, while an 8/10 for a game they didn't like meant the journalist slept with game devs or something.