With protests raging in the US following the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of police forces, a number of video game companies, organisations and personalities have sought to make their voices heard and add to the calls for police reform and justice for the victims of racism and police brutality.
We too will be adding our support to this today, hitting pause and halting the posting stories across our website from midday. Ahead of this, we’re highlighting the support the video games industry.
#BlackLivesMatter (1/3) pic.twitter.com/k4sIcUiPwP
— Sony (@Sony) May 31, 2020
In addition, Sony have postponed their PlayStation 5 reveal event that was scheduled to take place on 4th June, citing that they “want to stand back and let more important voices be heard.”
Microsoft and Xbox have taken a similar stance, choosing to highlight the Black and African Americans that work within the company.
Xbox stands together with our fans, creators, colleagues, friends, and the entire African American & Black Community against systemic racism and injustice.
We are proud to join with @Microsoft in amplifying Black and African American voices. https://t.co/sHrXqf454y
— Xbox (@Xbox) June 1, 2020
EA have postponed the reveal of NFL Madden 21, a game and series with deep ties to American culture and the Black community through the high number of Black American sports stars that feature on its teams. The Black Lives Matter movement was deeply linked to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick and his decision to kneel during the national anthem that precedes each game.
An official statement from EA SPORTS pic.twitter.com/MKdgJjvKJB
— Madden NFL 20 (@EAMaddenNFL) May 31, 2020
Other major publishers also weighed in, including Activision Blizzard, and Warner Bros. and Bethesda:
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/Hg1VIdEqmi
— Bethesda (@bethesda) June 1, 2020
As have a number of game developers. Including Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Riot, Splash Damage
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) June 1, 2020
— Splash Damage (@splashdamage) June 2, 2020
— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) June 1, 2020
— Riot Games (@riotgames) May 31, 2020
Fortnite streaming personality Ninja had the following to say:
A black reporter @OmarJimenez gets arrested with valid media credentials while cooperating with police (all filmed live) and George’s murderer is still free tells you all you need to know about America’s problems. I stand with the Black community, and all races. #JusticeForFloyd
— Ninja (@Ninja) May 29, 2020
And esports organisations Cloud9 and TSM posted the following:
A message from Jack Etienne, CEO & Co-Founder of Cloud9 #BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/S8XqzDwpKn
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) May 31, 2020
#BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/378NYQseSc
— TSM (@TSM) May 31, 2020
We expect and hope that more companies will add their support to the #BlackLivesMatter cause in various ways over the coming days, especially with more video game reveal events having been planned for the start of this month. We applaud all those that do take a stand on this matter.
