A week ago CGE (Czech Games Edition) announced a new edition of their popular boardgame Codenames. There are a lot of editions of the game, and the new one is a licensed Harry Potter IP. Which means they paid the biggest, loudest, and wealthiest anti-trans activist a lot of money in the hope of making a lot of money themselves, and since Rowling uses her money to campaign to strip trans people of their rights, a lot of gamers, content creators, and game designers are justifiably horrified.
So, four days ago CGE released a statement. It's not a very good statement as crisis management statements go. They don't even say what the IP is or mention the JK Rowling. In fact, the statement raises more questions and concerns than it addresses. In a pathetic CYA attempt they say they started the project "many years ago".
"Many years ago". How many years ago? Did they license the IP before or after JKR became a toxic hater and plowed her considerable fortune into stripping trans people of their rights, and becoming the very public face of anti-trans rhetoric and action? Because if it was before JKR became toxic, then CGE funded her campaign to disenfranchise trans people in England. And they should've acknowledged this in their statement and said that they never would've given her money if they'd known how she'd use it. CGE should've stated flatly and unambiguously that they do not agree with her hateful and bigoted views and that they support LGBTQ+ people and trans rights. They should've also stated that all or some of the money made from the sale of the Hogwarts Codenames will go to organizations who provide support for trans people.
On the other hand, if they licensed the Harry Potter IP after JRK had become toxic and anti-trans, they should acknowledge this, and acknowledge it as a mistake, and say they are sorry. An absolutely and utterly abject apology is what is needed in that case, and all profits from the Hogwarts version of Codenames should go to organizations who provide support for trans people. At the very least. Not releasing the game at all would probably be the best decision, but they waited until the game was a fait accompli so that probably isn't an option.
I didn't have to think hard to come up with the ideas outlined in the preceding paragraphs, yet not even the most obvious statements in either of the paragraphs above are in CGE's press release. And on top of that the Codenames account on BlueSky is blocking trans people and people who support trans rights. If the noise level in the wake of their crappy crisis management statement was too much, they could've just muted people. Blocking trans people and those who support them, on top of paying an anti-trans activist a ton of money--which will be used to oppress trans people, if it hasn't been already--is tantamount to saying that CGE stands with Rowling against trans people. Funding her hate-filled cause and blocking the people she hates---it really looks like CGE is actually anti-trans, not just a stupid and money-grubbing company.
If they really do support trans people and their human rights, then I just don't see how they could've handled everything any worse than they have. This is so bad, and their reaction so bad, that they've made it impossible for anyone to believe that the company is operating in good faith in the decisions it makes. Boardgamers, and the content creators who promote their games, are now boycotting CGE. In the week since announcing the game CGE has made no apology for funding the anti-trans agenda, nor have they made any unequivocal statement of support for trans people and trans rights.
Unlike CGE, I have no trouble standing in solidarity with trans people. Trans rights are, indeed, human rights. There is no place for hatred and bigotry of any sort in tabletop games. Play nice.
