by A.P.
Transgender witches or wizards can reportedly enroll in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in an upcoming video game set in the 1800s — a century before famed boy wizard Harry Potter ever received an owl informing him of the fictional school’s existence.
In an attempt at an inclusive wizarding world in the gaming universe, the “Harry Potter”-themed video game, “Hogwarts Legacy,” will allow players to create transgender characters depending on how they customize their character’s voice, body type and gender placement in the school’s fabled dormitories, according to a Bloomberg report published Tuesday.
Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developer Avalanche Software are scheduled to release the game in 2022.
According to Bloomberg, when players start the console or PC game, they will be able to create a character that has a masculine or feminine voice no matter what their body looks like. Character customization options in games typically give players a broad tool set, but some games, such as “Cyberpunk 2077,” have come under fire for tying voice to gender. It’s unclear if the new game will allow for nonbinary or other identifiers, though.