Greg Ellis was among the many actors that have been confirmed to have worked on Hogwarts Legacy, and he expressed his delight for being able to work on the game over the years and thanked J.K. Rowling for creating the world. Ellis is well-known for his performances in Pirates of the Caribbean, J.J Abrams’ Star Trek movie from 2009 and Forsaken. Additionally, he has also been involved in several video game titles, and many may recognize him as the voice of the well-known Cullen Rutherford from the Dragon Age series.
The fan base has embraced Cullen, the character, yet Ellis has encountered conflict due to his personal views and the way he has employed Cullen to mock a BioWare dev. In 2019, Ellis was in support of J.K. Rowling when she broadcasted her believed-to-be transphobic convictions and then in 2020, Ellis and former Dragon Age series executive producer Mark Darrah had a public disagreement after a series of ambiguous tweets. Upon the announcement of Darrah’s departure from BioWare, Ellis declared it was a “relief for many” and that he was being compelled to resign as he was a “disloyal, duplicitous corporate fake.” Subsequently, Ellis employed his personal YouTube channel to criticize “cancel culture” while still in the character of Cullen.
For approximately the past three years, Ellis has been involved in Hogwarts Legacy. After Rowling gave her thanks to him, he thanked her back and referenced an old tweet of his, mentioning how he was “canceled by a virulent strain of my own fans who labeled me a misogynist, racist, and transphobe.” He also noted that his “support for successful women who have triumphed was deemed wrong” and declared that working on Hogwarts Legacy was “prophetic.”
The development and release of Hogwarts Legacy has been surrounded by controversy, with Troy Leavitt’s appointment as lead designer being a major point of contention. Leavitt ultimately left the project in 2021, citing family issues as his primary reason for departing; however, it was revealed that he had a YouTube channel featuring pro-Gamergate videos and a defense of John Lassetter, a former Disney executive who was accused of sexual misconduct. Despite his departure, Leavitt expressed confidence in both Avalanche and Warner Bros.
Ever since Hogwarts Legacy was revealed, it has created a buzz, though some of its supporters just desire to have fun with the game without endorsing the opinions of Rowling and Ellis. This dispute continues to this day and has been linked to the reviews of the game, implying that it will not be settling down anytime soon.
The game Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to be released on February 10th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, while the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be available on April 4th, and the Nintendo Switch version will follow on July 25th.
