The president of Warner Bros. Games has addressed the recent announcement of Hogwarts Legacy and its relationship to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

Rowling has recently been criticised for making several transphobic comments on her Twitter account, as well as publishing a book alleged to portray transgender people as villains.

The author’s actions led to many Harry Potter movie actors, including leads Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne, to publicly voice their support for the transgender community.

Addressing Hogwarts Legacy’s relationship with the author and her comments, WB Games president David Haddad reportedly said in a company QA (via Jason Schreier) that Rowling “has the right to hold her opinions.”

He said: “I’d like to echo something you’ve heard from our most senior executive leadership. While J.K. Rowling is the creator of Harry Potter, and we are bringing that to life with the power of Portkey, in many places, she’s a private citizen also.

Notice: To display this embed please allow the use of Functional Cookies in Cookie Preferences.

“And that means she’s entitled to express her personal opinion on social media,” the exec added. “I may not agree with her, and I might not agree with her stance on a range of topics, but I can agree that she has the right to hold her opinions.”

Later in the QA, Haddad reportedly answered questions about diversity and inclusion within WB Games, and claimed he was working with LGBTQ rights orgs including GLAAD.

Warner Bros. Games previously distanced itself from the Harry Potter author, writing in an official game FAQ that J.K. Rowling was “not directly involved” in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy.

Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the movies, recently published an open letter via LGBTQ non-profit The Trevor Project in support of transgender people, following JK Rowling’s Twitter comments.

“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either [J.K. Rowling] or I,” Radcliffe wrote.

further reading

Warner Bros. Interactive announced Hogwarts Legacy, its next-gen adventure game based on the Harry Potter series, last month.

Developed by Avalanche Software (Disney Infinity), the title is described as an open-world RPG that takes players beyond Hogwarts to new and familiar locations, as they “live the unwritten and embark on a dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world.”

Published by Warner under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy will release in 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One consoles, and PC.

Zynga on Wednesday forecast annual net bookings above Wall Street estimates, betting on the launch of its upcoming FarmVille game and strong in-game spending in its existing titles such as Harry Potter: Puzzles Spells.

The company’s shares rose nearly 3 percent in extended trading.

Zynga said it expects full-year net bookings – an indicator of future revenue – to be $2.8 billion (roughly Rs. 20,370 crores), more than the $2.75 billion (roughly Rs. 20,000 crores) analysts were anticipating, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Its outlook includes a full-year contribution from Rollic’s titles Toon Blast and Toy Blast, initial sales of Puzzle Combat and FarmVille 3 set to launch in the first half of 2021, and the potential release of its first Star Wars game by the end of the year.

Zynga’s NaturalMotion studio is also developing four new games focused on the action-adventure category that consumers would be able to play across platforms, Chief Executive Officer Frank Gibeau told Reuters.

The games are expected to be published starting in late 2021, he added.

Zynga depends on licensing deals with franchise owners, such as the one with Warner Bros. Games for Harry Potter and Walt Disney for Star Wars, to publish themed games and has bolstered its position in the fast-growing mobile-gaming market through a slew of acquisitions.

The company said it expects international expansion of its franchises to drive growth in 2021, with Europe and Asia likely to be the primary growth markets.

Net bookings were $699 million (roughly Rs. 5,100 crores) for the fourth quarter, beating estimates of $677.2 million (roughly Rs. 4,900 crores). Zynga mainly generates revenue from the sale of virtual goods, such as currency and lives, within its free-to-play games.

The Words With Friends publisher’s average monthly active users more than doubled from a year earlier to 134 million as people spent more time online due to pandemic-induced restrictions.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

Can Realme X7 Pro take on OnePlus Nord? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

One of the internet’s largest independently-owned video game forums, Resetera, has banned Hogwarts Legacy threads, due to what it calls “bigoted” comments made by the game’s lead designer and Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling.

The forum – which has more than 50,000 approved members – has decided to ban all threads related to promotional content for the game. Other discussion unrelated to marketing will be allowed.

This month it was widely reported that Troy Leavitt, the lead designer behind the Warner Bros. game, had run a reactionary YouTube channel that published videos criticising feminism and social justice, among other topics.

As noted by journalist Liam Robertson, Leavitt’s content included a video calling the #MeToo movement a “moral panic” and another downplaying sexual harassment allegations made against former Pixar CCO John Lasseter.

Leavitt also expressed support for Gamergate, the movement which fostered harassment of women and minorities in the games industry.

The Hogwarts Legacy game had already attracted concern due to its association with Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. In the past year, Rowling has been criticised for making several transphobic comments on her Twitter account, which caused many Harry Potter movie actors, including leads Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne, to publicly voice their support for the transgender community.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Resetera’s mod team said that the unrepentant views of both Leavitt and Rowling had forced it into “a uniquely awful situation.”

“The team has talked it over at length and as a result we’ve decided to implement a total ban on threads for promotional media for the game,” it said.

“This means there will be no threads for trailers or official announcements, no hype threads, no fluff pieces about its features. This functionally bans almost all threads leading up to release, unless there are major new developments about the controversy or something along those lines.”

It added: “This is the first time we’ve done something like this and we consider this a very exceptional case. It’s not just one bigoted game designer that made the difference here. JK Rowling’s singular reach and influence, how closely that influence is tied to the Harry Potter IP, and what she chooses to do with that power, is a unique problem on top of this latest controversy.”

The mods said they would review the situation close to the game’s 2022 release. “For now though we’re definitely not going to be platforming the marketing. If you see any threads for that stuff please report them. If you’re unsure about a thread you want to post, please contact the staff first to check before creating it.”

As reported by Kotaku, Hogwarts Legacy designer Leavitt has claimed that he made his employers at Warner Bros. aware of his YouTube channel after being hired at Avalanche Software in February 2018.

“Some of you have expressed that, due to my commentary on some game industry controversies and my sympathies for the Gamergate movement, that I might have a difficult time should I ever want to return to professional game development,” Leavitt said.

“I’m happy to say that, even though I disclosed my YouTube channel to WB Games, it didn’t appear to be an issue for them. Not that they endorse anything that I’ve said, of course, but at least they seem more concerned with making good games than with pushing some kind of a social justice agenda, so there is hope.”

Warner Bros. Interactive is yet to comment on this story.

You finally have a place to hang up your broomstick while traveling.

1. Wizards Way is a custom themed AirBNB you can rent in Championsgate that is just about 15 minutes from Disney and other theme parks. 

2. The home is all themed around the iconic novels and films of the Harry Potter franchise. 

3. Inside the home, you will find multiple unique bedrooms that range in themes from Dumbledore’s office to a theatre room that is designed to look like the Forbidden Forest with real trees imported in to add to the authenticity of the room. 

4. The home is available year-round but they suggest you try to book further in advance to secure the home. 

5. For more information, you can check it out here.

New Delhi–The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wants to initiate a debate on Indian history written so far. The RSS believes that till now historians have written Indian history narrowly and now is the time to revisit it.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will release a book titled ‘Aitihasik Kaalgana: Ek Bhartiya Vivechan’ on February 21 which raises serious questions on Indian historiography. The book is written by Ravi Shankar, director of the Centre for Civilisational Studies.

Ravi Shankar told IANS, “Historians have grossly ignored Indian sources while writing history. The major texts covering India’s millions of years of history were in Sanskrit, but most historians did not have knowledge of Sanskrit and so they ignored these texts. In Indian history, the Indus Valley is taught, but the Mahabharata was not given a place. We need to take a relook at the history of India and the world.”

Ravi Shankar said there are many problems with the history taught in India. The first problem is its antiquity. How ancient can India’s history be? This question also arises because the history of the countries whose people are dominated in the world today is very small. The impact of the Christian history is on the Neo-European peoples of America, who believe that history is only 6,000 years ago.

He said, “Indian scholars were also caught under the influence of this ignorance of Europeans. Indian scholars also did not show the courage to accept the scriptural era as correct. Indian historians tried to put the history of India in the European style.”

He said this book raises serious questions about the history taught in schools and colleges. Is India’s history only 5,000 years old as taught in the NCERT books, or according to Indian tradition, is it millions of years old. This book is an attempt to understand the antiquity of the history of India and the world. (IANS)

Madhuri Dixit shared this photo (courtesy madhuridixitnene)

New Delhi:

We know one more thing about Madhuri Dixit today – she’s a true blue Potterhead. The 53-year-old actress had a movie marathon recently and she picked the series of Harry Potter films. In an ROFL Instagram post on Thursday evening, Madhuri Dixit revealed the after effect of what watching back to back Harry Potter films can have on someone. Madhuri, for example, put on a pair of Potter-themed round sunglasses and had a fun-filled, “goofy” photoshoot. Describing her mood with a bunch of photos, Madhuri wrote: “Goofing around after a Harry Potter film marathon.” Don’t you mess with her because she’s got the Patronus Charm ready: “Expecto Patronum,” she wrote.

Here’s what Madhuri Dixit shared after a Harry Potter marathon:

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene)

Madhuri Dixit, who recently celebrated her 21st wedding anniversary with husband Dr Sriram Nene, often shares glimpses of her family time on Instagram. Madhuri Dixit and Sriram Nene are parents to two sons Arin and Ryan. Her video of setting up a kitchen garden with her family trended a great deal: “Never stop trying your hand at something new and interesting,” she wrote.

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene)

Glimpses of Madhuri Dixit’s family time also include cooking sessions with her husband. Here’s when they made an “all-time favourite” dish.

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene)

Earlier this year, Madhuri Dixit and her son Arin won hearts with their beautiful rendition of Ed Sheeran’s song Perfect for the I For India virtual concert.

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene)

In terms of work, Madhuri Dixit was last seen in 2019 film Kalank. She also featured as a judge on reality TV show Dance Deewane.

By Mónica Marie Zorrilla

May 5, 2020

Outcomes are rarely as straightforward in life as in art, and Mark Selby proved on Monday night that sometimes even Dementors can be victorious.

In truth, comparing a multiple world champion to the stifling, joy-sucking villains of the Harry Potter world — as Steve Davis did ahead of this final — is little short of an insult to Selby’s vast array of talents.

If he earned his 10-7 lead at the halfway stage of the World Championship final by smothering Shaun Murphy’s free-flowing ebullience on Sunday — at one stage forcing his opponent to go 61 minutes without a pot — he finished the job on Monday by displaying every facet of his superb all-round game, merging tactical acumen with scintillating potting ability.

His 18-15 winning margin was testament to his collective abilities that have now earned him four world titles and cemented his reputation as one of the all-time greats of the game.

“In certain quarters he’s much maligned,” said John Parrott. “Sometimes people say he’s this or that, or he’s slow, but he’s an absolutely tremendous matchplay player who deserves all the accolades that he gets.”

Described as a “snooker vampire” by Stephen Hendry, Selby is often cast as snooker’s equivalent of an unfashionable Test match opening batsman ill suited to the crowd-pleasing world of T20 cricket. Yet to do so is to ignore that just three months ago he displayed his versatility in reaching the final of the Snooker Shoot Out, a single-frame tournament with matches featuring a shot clock and lasting no longer than 10 minutes.

Certainly, if there was any lack of joy from those watching on Monday night, it was far from evident among the 980-strong capacity crowd in the Crucible.

The Cheltenham Festival in March 2020 was the last time a full house had been allowed at any sporting event in Britain and these snooker traditionalists relished the opportunity to watch the pinnacle of their beloved sport. Too much so, in fact, with the evening crowd’s frequent proclamations in favour of their preferred player prompting a scolding from referee Paul Collier: “If you keep calling names out it doesn’t help anybody. Enjoy the evening but just settle down please.”

Story continues

Three frames adrift at the start of the day, Murphy’s only previous world title had come after overcoming an even bigger 10-6 deficit against Matthew Stevens in 2005 and he was soon at his exuberant best with a fine 77 to claim the opening frame.

But whatever he managed, Selby seemed able to match. Ranked world No 1 for the best part of seven years up to 2019, during which he won three world titles and two UK Championships, Selby had insisted in the build up this encounter that he felt “very similar” to the player that had so dominated the sport.

“I was getting down on myself mentally and was a bit fragile. Now I feel I’m in a better place,” he said.

That resilience was on full display as he repeatedly denied Murphy meaningful time at the table to find his groove. A first century break after what had largely been an error-ridden opening day eventually arrived courtesy of Selby’s 107 on Monday evening and opened the floodgates for a series of superb visits to the table from both men.

With Selby one frame from victory at 17-13, Murphy produced back-to-back centuries to threaten an historic comeback, but it was not to be.

For Murphy, the result meant a third successive defeat on snooker’s biggest stage, while Selby now sits alongside John Higgins with only four men above him in the all-time world title standings, having made a mockery of the wizarding world’s idea of heroes and villains along the way.

Pandora’s Chief Creative and Brand Officer Stephen Fairchild says of the collection: “Through our Harry Potter-inspired jewelry, Pandora and Harry Potter fans can express their love for magic, fantasy, bravery and the power of friendship. Pandora fans have asked for this collection for years, and we are really excited that it is here.”

When designing the collection, Francesco Terzo and A. Filippo Ficarelli, Pandora’s VP Creative Directors, were inspired by the iconic characters to create hand-crafted jewelry that fuses the universe of Pandora and the Wizarding World.

Completing the collection is a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry charm, a Dobby the House Elf charm and a Hogwarts Express charm with “Anything from the trolley, dears?” engraved on the bottom.

All four Hogwarts house charms are represented in sterling silver double dangles with craftsmanship details that will excite super fans, like a front disc detailed with the house crest surrounded by man-made stones in house colors. On the back disc, the edges are detailed with crenellations, in reference to the battlements of Hogwarts Castle and a bail shaped like the Hogwarts crest.

Within the collection is also a Golden Snitch bangle, which is an update of the classic Pandora Moments bangle featuring the iconic Quidditch symbol at the clasp.

The Harry Potter x Pandora collection will be in Pandora stores worldwide and on pandora.net from November 28th, 2019.

#HarryPotterxPandora

ABOUT PANDORA
Pandora designs, manufactures and markets hand-finished and contemporary jewelry made from high-quality materials at affordable prices. Pandora jewelry is sold in more than 100 countries on six continents through more than 7,500 points of sale, including more than 2,700 concept stores.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pandora employs more than 26,000 people worldwide of whom more than 11,500 are located in Thailand, where the Company manufactures its jewelry. Pandora is publicly listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark. In 2018, Pandora’s total revenue was DKK 22.8 billion (approximately EUR 3.1 billion).

ABOUT WIZARDING WORLD
More than two decades ago, a young Harry Potter was whisked onto Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station, and readers everywhere were swept along with him into a magical universe, created by J.K. Rowling. In the years since, the seven Harry Potter bestsellers have inspired eight Blockbuster movies, an award-winning stage play, and, more recently, the start of the Fantastic Beasts five-film series. People of all ages have been enthralled by these extraordinary adventures, set within an expanding universe, inspired by the vision of J.K. Rowling.

For today’s growing worldwide fan community, and for generations to come, the Wizarding World welcomes everyone to explore more of this magical universe — past, present and future. The Wizarding World also provides fans with an instant, trusted kite-mark of quality and authenticity.

ABOUT WARNER BROS. CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, extends the Studio’s powerful portfolio of entertainment brands and franchises into the lives of fans around the world.  WBCP partners with best-in-class licensees globally on an award-winning range of toys, fashion, home décor, and publishing inspired by franchises and properties such as DC, Wizarding World, Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera. The division’s successful global themed entertainment business includes groundbreaking experiences such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. With innovative global licensing and merchandising programs, retail initiatives, promotional partnerships and themed experiences, WBCP is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are © ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WB SHIELD: ™ © WBEI. WIZARDING WORLD trademark and logo © ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19)

SOURCE PANDORA Jewelry

Related Links

http://www.pandora-jewelry.com

• In Tom Felton’s virtual “Potter” reunion, Rupert Grint said he had a laughing problem while shooting “Harry Potter” and earned the nickname “Go Again Grint” because he had to do scenes “like 20 times.”
• “Dumbledore’s funeral was a particularly bad one,” Grint said. “For some reason, I found that absolutely hilarious. And yeah, once you start laughing, it’s very hard to stop.”
• Grint also said he and Daniel Radcliffe had to shoot the Hogwarts Express carriage scene in the first movie separately because they “couldn’t look at each other in the eye” as they were laughing so much.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Rupert Grint said he earned the nickname “Go Again Grint” on the set of “Harry Potter” for laughing constantly during scenes.

Grint appeared on “Tom Felton’s Home Party,” a virtual “Potter” reunion celebrating 19 years since the “The Sorcerer’s Stone” was released. He was asked whether it was true he had a problem laughing during scenes, which he confirmed.

“It’s still a problem — it’s something I’ve never been able to shake,” Grint said. “Even making this video, I’m, like, take 20. It’s quite hard to explain because it’s never really anything in particular that I’m laughing at.”

Grint said that while working on “Potter” he would laugh during “the most inappropriate scenes.”

“Dumbledore’s funeral was a particularly bad one,” Grint said. “For some reason, I found that absolutely hilarious. And yeah, once you start laughing, it’s very hard to stop. It just becomes a thing.”

“I had a particularly bad reputation, they used to call me ‘Go Again Grint’ because I just could never do anything without doing it like 20 times.”

Grint added that when he and Daniel Radcliffe shot the scene in which their characters Ron and Harry meet for the first time, in the Hogwarts Express train carriage, they couldn’t stop laughing at each other.

“We literally had to shoot that separately. So whenever you watch that, we’re never in the same carriage because we couldn’t look at each other in the eye,” Grint said, shining a new light onto the scene.

Grint continued: “It’s a problem. But there’s little tricks you can do to get around it. I developed a few facial expressions which hide my smile but it’s something I’m working on.”

We’ll never be able to watch the train-carriage scene the same way again:

• Read more:
• 12 details you missed in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’
• Rupert Grint makes his Instagram debut with an adorable 1st photo of his daughter and a unique baby name reveal
• Luna Lovegood actress Evanna Lynch takes us inside ‘Harry Potter’ controversies and explains why she’s a true Gryffindor