Games Done Quick (GDQ), the organization that holds speedrun marathons that raise money for a variety of charities, has updated its banned game list to include Hogwarts Legacy and all Harry Potter titles. However, the company has also said this ban will be “subject to further review in the future.”
Why were the Harry Potter games banned from GDQ?
Harry Potter games have been allowed in previous GDQ events and the company is yet to explain to The Gamer why they have banned the titles now. However, it is believed to be linked to the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s comments on the transgender community that led one Hogwarts Legacy developer to boycott the game completely and the director to clarify that “the team made Hogwarts Legacy for everyone.”
The GDQ banned game list also includes games with overly sexual content and gratuitous violence, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for an event that’s aimed on being child friendly:
- Games with an ESRB rating of Adults Only.
- Any game that is prohibited on twitch
- Air Control
- America’s Most Wanted
- Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
- Five Nights at Freddy’s Series
- Frog Fractions
- God of War (2005)
- Harry Potter Series, including Hogwarts Legacy*
- Huniepop Series
- Ion Fury
- Kurovadis
- Eroico
- Natsuiro High School: Seishun Hakusho
- Rocko’s Quest
GDQ’s next event will be the Summer Games Done Quick marathon in May, but don’t expect to see Hogwarts Legacy included in the schedule anytime soon.
