Last week the board game publisher CGE, in The Year Of Our Lord Twenty Twenty-Five, announced a new Harry Potter game. Called Back to Hogwarts, it's a spinoff of CGE's immensely popular Codenames series, which has been huge for almost a decade now after winning the 2016 Spiel des Jahres. The announcement was, as you can imagine, not received very well!
The publisher's reveal post was flooded with angry responses from former fans of the series and current fans of Codenames, so much so that after 705 replies CGE turned off the ability for anyone to comment across not just Bluesky, but all their social media platforms. Some of those 705 comments said Harry Potter creator JK Rowling is a "mouldy castle bigot writer lady", and that sales of this game puts "money straight into a racist terf's pockets that she'll use to enable the murder of trans people".
Now, as BoardGameWire report, sectors of the board gaming media are joining the opposition. No Pun Included have announced they'll no longer be covering any of CGE's games, and have been joined by 3 Minute Board Games and, most consequentially, Shut Up & Sit Down, one of the most popular outlets in the scene with almost half a million subscribers.
SU&SD's EiC Tom Brewster was absolutely scathing in his comments to BGW, saying:
I fail to see Harry Potter: Codenames as anything but a soulless cash grab that’s tremendously insulting to the trans folks JK Rowling has been trying her best to oust from public life. It’s a product to sell to people who prioritise their nostalgia for children’s fantasy over the culture their trans friends and family live in.
Rowling is a miserable bigot who has routinely chosen to create a more dangerous world for trans people. She wields real influence, and has used it to set us back as far as possible, every single time.
To tie your well respected brand to such a visibly horrible individual is a just a shockingly poor decision on all fronts. There are other published Harry Potter games out there – but I can see many of them being made before – or whilst – Rowling gestated into the frightful transphobe she’s become. CGE’s attempt to have a bite of the apple has likely been created entirely within this era of blatant, all-out transphobia.
Pretty much! CGE have a long-standing relationship with Harry Potter, having already released one spinoff based on the series back in 2018, but that was then (when Harry Potter was a series about a wizard), and this is now, when the intervening years have turned the book's author into a poisonous husk of a person who spends their days trying to actively harm people, their efforts funded directly by licensing deals like this one.
In response to the backlash, CGE published a statement, which reads:
When we embarked on creating the newly announced version of Codenames many years ago, it was a dream coming true for many of us at CGE. The vast world of magic featured in the upcoming Codenames has been a source of inspiration. It ignited a passion for learning English and exploring new worlds through reading. It shaped our childhoods, sparked imagination, or gave comfort in difficult times. We know many people around the world share the same sentiment about this universe, even among those who have been hurt by the public views and actions of its creator. Deciding whether those feelings should also transfer to the once-beloved world is up to everyone, and we fully respect and understand those who do not wish to engage with this game. We still believe in the magic of stories and the connection they create between people.
As this is an ongoing conversation, we encourage everyone to approach discussion with care, empathy, and respect—both online and in person.
This worthless statement, which doesn’t actually explain anything, wasn't just instantly criticised (again) on social media, but also drew a rebuke from the Tabletop Game Designers Association, who issued their own statement on the drama, saying:
The leadership of the Tabletop Game Designers Association was disappointed to see the publisher CGE touting Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, a new Harry Potter-themed version of Codenames.
Author J.K. Rowling’s extreme anti-trans rhetoric has caused physical and emotional harm to a particularly vulnerable group, and the licensing fees she receives from the game will be used to support these attacks.
CGE released a statement about the controversy around their decision, but it fell far short of anything meaningful.
TTGDA is dedicated to fostering diversity in designers and diversity in viewpoints. However we do not accept intolerance and demonization of a specific group as an acceptable viewpoint.
This is particularly true as antitrans rhetoric and action has been increasing in many countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and United States.
We urge CGE to reconsider their plans to release Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, or at least dedicate a portion of the proceeds to organizations such as The Trevor Project to offset licensing fees that flow back to Rowling.
Not sure I agree with that last point from the TGDA, as I don't think there's a place for offsetting the direct funding of Rowling’s efforts. Maybe Codenames fans could instead take the money they would have spent on this and spend it on...literally anything else? Go see a movie, buy yourself a nice hat, play a video game about a different kid with magic powers, anything.
UPDATE: 8am, August 11: CGE has since issued a fresh statement, which reads:
We are all devastated that the project we were so excited to share with you caused harm instead of joy. We have been working to bring you the best possible games for years, and just like our other titles, we worked diligently to bring you this latest title, too.
In our excitement about creating a game within a universe many of us still treasure, we failed to see how that universe no longer brings joy to others.
Over time, the harmful views of the story's creator have escalated into harmful actions. We apologize unreservedly for not doing more to consider that possibility, and for subsequently announcing the game without taking preemptive actions to mitigate the pain it would cause.Many of you have expressed your understandable anger, pain, and disappointment through a variety of platforms. Frankly, we were not prepared for
the volume of the response. As a result, multiple accounts and comments were blocked or muted that should not have been. We would never want anyone experiencing the pain this situation has caused to then feel like they are being silenced. So for that, too, we want to sincerely apologize.
Like the world we live in, CGE is made up of individuals with various backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, and belief systems. None of us would ever want to take actions that would hurt or restrict the rights of another human being. We commit to remaining supportive of an inclusive and welcoming community of gamers. We believe in the rights of all people to have their own identity, and we reject hate and bigotry in all their forms. Trans rights are human rights.With the above in mind, and after many heartfelt and vital discussions both internally and with members of the affected community, we have decided to donate 100% of the profit from this game to appropriate charitable organizations. We will ensure that an amount equal to or greater than the fee paid to license this product will go directly to organizations that provide support for the trans community.
We evaluate profits and make charitable-giving decisions each December, and we will continue using this annual process to direct the game's profits. We will listen to recommendations from the community to help guide our choices of organizations that provide support for the trans community. Our goal is to select those that offer direct, practical help to people in need - for example, services similar to the emergency hotline that was recently discontinued.At CGE, we are committed to making decisions that come from the heart in everything we do. We opened discussions with members of the affected communities and we came together as a whole company to find a way forward that was a genuine reflection of our values and desire to do the right thing.
We are sorry for the time it took us to communicate our path forward, but we hope you see that we did so with the care and consideration that you all deserve.
