The Harry Potter universe has seen the addition of a transgender character, a gaming news website reported on Monday. GameRevolution has said a non-player character named Sirona Ryan, a trans witch, will appear in the soon-to-be-released ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ video game.
The article states this will be the first time such a character has been included in the Wizarding World, a fantasy media franchise based on the Harry Potter novels by JK Rowling.
GameRevolution states that in the game Ryan runs the Three Broomsticks pub and that the player has to interact with her in a mission involving the goblin Lodgok.
At one point during the dialogue, the witch allegedly said that the goblin had recognized her “instantly” a few months ago despite not having seen her for a long time.
“Which is more than I can say for some of my own classmates. Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard,” Ryan went on to add, as quoted in the article.
The Hill reported that Warner Bros., the publisher of ‘Hogwarts Legacy’, did not respond to a request for comment.
The game, which is set in the 19th century, is due to be released this Friday.
According to the game’s website, while Rowling was not directly involved in the creation of ‘Hogwarts Legacy,’ Portkey Games “collaborated closely with her team on all aspects of the game to ensure it remains in line with the magical experiences fans expect.”
The novelist herself, meanwhile, has courted controversy for views that some deem transphobic. As recently as October of last year, Rowling spoke out against proposed legislation that sought to promote transgender rights in Scotland.
Some gamers and streamers have already called for a boycott of the game, arguing that the whole franchise is inextricably linked with the author of the original novels.