On Friday, the US Supreme Court upheld a long-standing right-wing threat to overthrow Roe v. calfthereby eliminating the constitutional right to abortion that had existed for me almost 50 years. Now some of the most notable gaming studios, previously silent, are speaking out about the issue, with at least one, destiny 2 Manufacturer Bungie directly condemning the Supreme Court ruling.
in one historic 6-3 decision— with the majority opinion drafted by numerous Republican judges who had previously done so declared under oath roe was fixed law– the court abolished basic protections for abortion, bodily autonomy and privacy and rejected many of the legal arguments on which these protections were previously based. States now have the green light to legislate bans on abortion, and in places where so-called “trigger laws” have been in place, like Texas, those bans are in place already come into force.
“Overturn the US Supreme Court decision Roe v. calf It cuts off millions of Americans from that access and leaves open the possibility of even more cutbacks in life-saving healthcare for all of us,” Bungie said wrote in an update to a previous blog post on the subject. “We remain unwavering in our commitment to championing reproductive choice and freedom.”
As a result of the ruling, the studio said it will now implement a travel reimbursement program to help employees access reproductive or gender-affirming health care they need, even if such care is criminalized in the employee’s home state. While Bungie is based in Washington, which has some federal protections for abortion, the studio’s new remote working policy means that this is not the case for all developers.
While destiny 2 Manufacturer was constant open to political issues, other studios are making their positions public for the first time, and some are pledging to provide material support to employees. Both are things that more and more American workers are asking their employers about than the country’s political institutions don’t meet the moment or stay captured by minority rule.
“We are people who make games” Insomniac Games tweeted. “Reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy are human rights.” The Sony-owned studio behind the coming Spiderman and wolverine Games previously scheduled Insomniac to make a $50,000 donation to the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP), which would match its parent company.
This comes after an email from Sony Interactive Entertainment head Jim Ryan urging employees to “respect differences of opinion” on abortion when a draft opinion of the court’s decision was first leaked. Corresponding The Washington PostSony had too demands that Insomniac remain silent about his donation to the WRRAP.
Now the dam of silence seems to be breaking. Friendly PlayStation studios Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica, Sony San Diego, Sony Bend, Sucker Punch and Guerrilla Games have started weigh in today. “We will continue to uphold these values and actively support all of our employees to receive the care they need and want,” tweeted Naughty Dog. “Reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy are human rights” Guerrilla tweeted. While Horizon forbidden west studio is based in the Netherlands, its former boss and co-founder Herman Hulst is now the head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios.
But unlike Microsoft who previously said it would also reimburse employees for out-of-state medical care-related expenses, Sony has not yet confirmed whether it will take similar steps. It is recently acquired Studio Bluepoint Games is based in Texas, where a trigger law means abortion will be illegal in 30 days. Sony did not respond to a request for comment.
Electronic Arts is another company that rambled on about the subjectso far Move away from encouraging public expression in relation to attacks on transgender rights and access to abortion. It was only when the backlash from employees and the threat of possible strikes were reported that the company published a blog post in which there was clear support. “As a company, we agree that trans rights are human rights. Women’s rights are human rights.”
While the publisher afterwards FIFA, Driving me crazyand Apex Legends said it is working on a benefits plan to directly address employees’ needs to seek out-of-state care, but has not yet shared further details on the status of that initiative. Ubisoft has also recently spoken out in favor of trans and reproduction rights, but it also is is still reviewing his performance plans to see what financial support she will offer to employees.
EA Austin, where BioWare Austin and other EA employees work, is one of the many game studios located in the trigger law state. EA has not responded to a request for comment. Texas is also home to Gearbox Entertainment and Devolver Digital. Neither company immediately responded to a request for comment. Nintendo’s own Retro Studios are also located there. The switch manufacturer also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Certain Affinity, an Austin-based studio, currently provides development support for Halo infinity, is one of the few to have outlined a policy that is moving forward. “We will cover the pre-approved, documented, reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of your relocation to another, safer state or province in which we operate.” Managing Director Max Hobermann announced in May. Certain affinity reiterated that commitment today.
Updated 6/24/2022 5:18pm ET: More and more gambling companies have started issuing statements in response to today’s news.
“We believe that the ability to make choices about one’s body and lifestyle is a human right.” Bethesda tweeted.
A spokesman for starfield Studio’s parent company, Microsoft, issued the following statement:
Microsoft will continue to do everything we can do under law to help our employees and their enrolled dependents access critical health care — which already includes services like abortion and gender-affirming care — regardless of where they live in the United States. This support has been expanded to include travel support for these and other legitimate medical services when access to care is limited in an employee’s home geographic region.
The company declined to clarify what it meant by “lawfully” because many states, including Texas, where all Id Software, Bethesda Austin and Arkane Austin studios are located, could try to prosecute local residents even for seeking an abortion across state lines. It also wasn’t confirmed if a refund would be available for all Xbox Game Studios employees, some of which benefit packages differ due to the limited nature of their post-acquisition integration with Microsoft.
Companies from the rest of the gaming industry, including Niantic, Innersloth and others, have come out with the following statements:
