Quidditch Changes Its Name Over J.K. Rowling Controversy
The Harry Potter fan community is raising its brooms in solidarity against J.K. Rowling. While the author is known for bringing the Wizarding World to life, recent months have seen her become her very own dark mark on the franchise. Now, even Quidditch wants nothing to do with her.
While gamers have threatened to boycott Hogwarts Legacy, Warner Bros. Interactive has done its best to distance itself from the divisive author - claiming that she had nothing to do with the magical title. Still, there's no escaping the fact she'll make a small fortune in royalties. Now, another avid community is turning against Rowling, with altogether more devastating consequences.
Why Is Quidditch Changing Its Name?
In December, the governing bodies of US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch said they were considering a change of name due to lost "sponsorship and broadcast opportunities". Given that Warner Bros. owns the rights to Quidditch as a whole, there was a copyright conundrum. Now, the change has been confirmed, with an added caveat as to why it was done.
The latest update comes from the International Quidditch Association, which cited Rowling's "anti-trans positions" as a contributing factor. Speaking to the New York Times, spokesperson Jack McGovern explained why Quidditch is now called Quadball. "We've tried to be clear that it's both reasons," said McGovern. "We did not intend to give a value judgment about which reason was more important than the other."
Major League Quadball says the change "opens unprecedented opportunities for growth, exposure and partnerships." In a statement, Executive Director of US Quadball Mary Kimball added: "In less than 20 years, our sport has grown from a few dozen college students in rural Vermont to a global phenomenon with thousands of players, semi-pro leagues and international championships." Cementing where things go next, she added, "Our organisations are committed to continuing to push quadball forward."
Does Hogwarts Legacy Have Quidditch?
Click to enlargeAs soon as we picked up a copy of Harry Potter, we became obsessed with Quidditch, meaning it's no surprise it soon kicked off as a real-life sport. Although it started as something of a niche endeavour, Quadball is now played by nearly 600 teams in 40 countries. Quadball has become increasingly progressive, with a gender maximum rule meaning no team can have more than four players of the same gender.
If you fancy playing Quadball (or Quidditch) on the virtual playing field, you're out of luck in Hogwarts Legacy. Despite having the honour of being the first open-world Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy will be ditching the iconic sport. Avalanche Software has promised there will be broom flight and broom race challenges, but all the fun of trying to grab the Golden Snitch is MIA in the final build.
