A group of 56 creators is offering 69 magical indie games for $60, an alternative to WB Games’ Hogwarts Legacy. The Trans Witches Are Witches bundle on itch.io is a curated list of magical witchcraft and wizardry with games, zines, and music from LGBTQ+ creators. It includes more than $300 worth of projects, and is open until Feb. 24.
The Trans Witches Are Witches bundle has raised well over $100,000, which will be dispersed among the bundles’ creators.
There’s a game for everyone in the bundle — lots of physical and tabletop roleplaying games like Unnatural Watches, Witch You Were Here, and journaling game Magic d8; magical school games like Tomorrow for Mar and Lotus: The Self-Made Witch; and music, like the soundtrack for Tonight, Together. The games in the bundle vary wildly, united as independent LGBTQ+ creators that “reject Hogwarts Legacy’s bigotry” from Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling.
Hogwarts Legacy’s release has been a success by many traditional measures. However, there’s a large segment of gamers that are renouncing the game and refusing to purchase it because of author Rowling’s statements on gender. The author has been confrontational in her statements on trans identity in particular, including invoking a widely discredited hypothetical, on social media, her blog, and elsewhere.
Developer Avalanche Software and publisher WB Games have said that Rowling is not “directly involved” in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy; however, Rowling’s creative agency, The Blair Partnership, consulted on the game. Regardless, Hogwarts Legacy is an extension of Rowling’s work, and she will inevitably benefit from its sales and publicity.
For those players opting out of Hogwarts Legacy in protest of Rowling’s views, the Trans Witches Are Witches bundle is a promising option with tons of magical worlds.
