Will J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans beliefs affect Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy after the sport's real-life name change?

Hogwarts Legacy fans are well acquainted with the adverse effect that the Potterverse's author's opinions on certain matters had on the whole world of Harry Potter and every project linked to it. The development of the wizarding world RPG (role-playing game) has had to deal with it ever since the reveal trailer was announced back in September 2020.

It was also found out later that one of the developers involved in the project harbored Gamergate sympathies. The State of Play gameplay reveal was succeeded by a long-drawn-out social media debate regarding whether to play the game or not.

Now that Quidditch, a real-life sport based on the popular wizard sport, has officially had its name changed to Quadball, one can't help but wonder if similar treatment will be directed at the sport in-game.

---

Will Quidditch receive a name change in Hogwarts Legacy after recent developments?

First and foremost, Quidditch as a sport/game has not been confirmed for the title. Whatever the case may be, one can rest assured that Quidditch will be mentioned in some form or the other, given that flying brooms are part of the game.

The people behind the newly-named Major League Quadball and U.S. Quadball made the decision to change their names after years of tweets from Rowling, which for many people, are extremely transphobic in nature. The official statement mentioned that:

"[C]hanging the name of our sport opens unprecedented opportunities for growth, exposure and partnerships, and our league intends to take advantage of every last one to remain on the cutting edge of innovation and engagement."

The choice distances the sport from the term Quidditch, which is associated with Potterverse, and thus with Rowling. Nevertheless, the chances of such a change within Hogwarts Legacy is highly unlikely because the game is based on the Potterverse world and will be authentic to Rowling's wizarding world.

The dedicated State of Play gameplay divided the fans who were unsure whether they should or should not buy Hogwarts Legacy. The conversations lasted for weeks on end, with the gap between the two sides increasing steadily.

One side clarified that they wish to purchase the title because there is a need to separate the artist from their work. These individuals also mentioned how the world of Harry Potter is way bigger than Rowling at the moment.

They wish to play Hogwarts Legacy to support and celebrate the sheer amount of work that the developers are putting into it to bring the game to life.

The other side pointed out that playing the game will not only provide Rowling with financial capital but further propagate her harmful opinions. Various people have come out, speaking against her opinions and her protracted defense of them, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

The developers have reportedly been trying to make Hogwarts Legacy's world more inclusive and accepting, as it originally was meant for the readers of Harry Potter. The game will also have a transgender character creation option. Players will have to wait till the holiday season of this year to fully explore the game world and the secrets they hold.