How many LEGO franchises can fit in one game of Fortnite? The answer is all of them, of course, and next up is Harry Potter, which joins the gaming goliath as part of its Winterfest event.
Ten customisable Harry Potter skins have just launched in Fortnite proper, with corresponding LEGO versions available in LEGO Fortnite Odyssey and LEGO Fortnite Brick Life. Rather than being hooked to named Wizarding World characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione and so on) they’re generic and customisable students that represent each of the four Hogwarts houses and have their own skills and traits.
There’s a Herbology Hero, Quidditch Maverick, Magical Creature Carer, Potions Perfector and more, all available to purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop as part of the latest Winterfest update. Harry Potter’s debut in Fortnite follows previous IPs that also have LEGO sets such as Star Wars, Marvel, DC, The Simpsons, Stranger Things, Disney, Back to the Future and more, while Despicable Me, One Piece and others are rumoured to be on the way too.
But where Harry Potter goes, controversy follows – thanks to J.K. Rowling’s widely-reported anti-trans rhetoric – and some prominent Fortnite fans have spoken out against the franchise’s addition to the game as a result. Fortnite Underground, for example, claims to have purposely leaked news of the Wizarding World update before its official reveal so that they could ‘ruin the surprise’ and deter sales.
“There's been a sentiment around this collaboration that goes something like ‘you can separate the art from the artist’, but that is a significantly harder ask when the artist is using their royalties to fund lawsuits and legislation that intentionally damage the quality of life of transgender people around the world,” Fortnite Underground posted on X. “In the past, Fortnite stood for what was right.
“This year, there was no Rainbow Royale event, nor were there any other activism efforts in Fortnite. Like many companies, Epic Games seems to be rolling back these efforts due to the political climate in the United States. And, perhaps as a result of investor pressure, Epic Games has recently loosened their restrictions around what they'll add to Fortnite – last month, we saw Outfits promoting Kick, and earlier in the year, a major collaboration with controversial streamer Kai Cenat. And now, Harry Potter.”
The timing is indeed interesting if only because it's surprising that it’s taken this long for Harry Potter to join Fortnite in any capacity. You can read more about the wider issues surrounding the franchise, and LEGO Harry Potter, here.
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