Tripwire Interactive president John Gibson has come under heavy fire for his support of the US Supreme Court's widely criticised decision to go ahead with a six-week abortion ban in the state of Texas.
On September 4, Gibson took to Twitter to write that he was "proud" of the US Supreme Court. "As an entertainer I don't get political often," Gibson wrote. "Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer."
Tripwire Interactive is a developer and publisher known for games like Killing Floor 2, Maneater, and Chivalry 2. On the publishing side of things Tripwire works with a number of studios - at least one of which has chosen to severe ties with the publisher in light of Gibson's comments.
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Shipwright Studios, a developer that has worked with Tripwire for more than three years, responded to Gibson on Twitter to confirm that the two companies will no longer be working together. "We cannot in good conscience continue to work with Tripwire under the current leadership structure," Shipwright wrote in a statement. "We will begin the cancellation of our existing contracts effective immediately."
Torn Banner, the studio behind Chivalry 2, also shared a statement. "We do not share the opinion expressed in a recent tweet by the president of Tripwire, publisher of Chivalry 2", it read. "This perspective is not shared by our team, nor is it reflected in the games we create. The statement stands in opposition to what we believe about women's rights."
These responses are indicative of the wider reaction to Gibson's opinion on the new law from across the industry. Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski said simply, "You can unfollow me now, thanks." Meanwhile, God of War director Cory Barlog asked, "How can anyone be proud of claiming dominion over a woman's personal freedoms?" Others also criticised the president's statement:
The new law effectively bans legal abortions after the detection of a "foetal heartbeat", a term medical authorities have described as misleading. Most people won't be aware they're pregnant until after six weeks. The law will also enable any individual to sue doctors who break the ban and provide an abortion past the six-week point, as well as anyone who is seen to have aided the abortion in any way.
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President Biden has since hit out at the ruling, calling it a "bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties".
Featured Image Credit: Tripwire InteractiveTopics: News, No-Article-Matching
