‘Far-right’ Harry Potter game designer quits after raging at ‘social justice warriors’ on YouTube
Troy Leavitt. YouTube)
Troy Leavitt has stepped down from his position as lead designer on the forthcoming Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy.
The news comes in the wake of criticism when Leavitt’s personal YouTube channel was uncovered, containing anti-social-justice videos that sympathised with Gamergate.
Leavitt tweeted the news, saying: “I have made the decision to part ways with Avalanche Software. I have nothing but good things to say about the game, the dev team, and WB Games.
“I will be releasing a YouTube Video about this soon on my channel.
1. I have made the decision to part ways with Avalanche Software. I have nothing but good things to say about the game, the dev team, and WB Games.
2. I will be releasing a YouTube Video about this soon on my channel.
— Troy Leavitt (@Troylus_true) March 5, 2021
“To clarify: I felt absolutely secure in my position. However, I still wanted to resign for reasons that I will explain in that forthcoming video. I’m in excellent spirits and very pleased with my relationship with WB and Avalanche.”
To clarify: I felt absolutely secure in my position. However, I still wanted to resign for reasons that I will explain in that forthcoming video . I’m in excellent spirits and very pleased with my relationship with WB and Avalanche. ??— Troy Leavitt (@Troylus_true) March 5, 2021
There’s no indication yet on when said YouTube video will be published.
So far, developer Avalanche and publisher WB Games are yet to publicly comment.
As previously reported, Leavitt was called out online for his YouTube channel that remains linked to his Twitter profile.
It includes videos entitled “The Injustice of Social Justice”, “In Praise of Cultural Appropriation” and “Social Justice Ten Commandments”, as well as repeated criticism of Feminist Frequency’s Anita Sarkeesian.
The channel has almost 26,000 followers and has had over two million views, with videos dating from 2016 to 2018.
In one particular video, Leavitt claims the company is aware of his YouTube channel but “it didn’t appear to be an issue for them”.
This news is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the Hogwarts Legacy game. Most recently, it was leaked that the game would allow for trans character creation, something developers on Hogwarts Legacy “pushed hard” to include.
However, many fans remain undeterred and have vowed not to play the game, not wishing to support author JK Rowling. WB Games note on the game’s website that she’s not directly involved.
