Tripwire Interactive boss steps down after anti-abortion tweet
Tripwire Interactive CEO and president John Gibbons has stepped down from his role after he tweeted in support of the anti-abortion Texas law. This law prevents abortion for babies with a heartbeat, which usually develops during the first three weeks of pregnancy. Unfortunately, that’s also the time when some people won’t know whether they are pregnant or not.
In a statement on his Twitter account, Gibbons tweeted “[P]roud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat. As an entertainer I don’t get political often. 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.”
Gibbons received immediate backlash from not just Tripwire Interactive’s community and the gaming industry, but those outside of it too. It also led Shipwright Studios, a co-development partner of Tripwire Interactive, to publicly announce that they were ending their partnership with the developer.
Since then, Tripwire Interactive has released a statement about Gibbon’s anti-abortion tweets. The full statement can be found via their Twitter account, though we’ve also included the statement below. It reads:
“The comments given by John Gibson are of his own opinion, and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company. His comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment.
“Effective immediately, John Gibson has stepped down as CEO of Tripwire Interactive. Co-founding member and current Vice President, Alan Wilson, will take over as interim CEO. Alan has been with the company since its formation in 2005 and is an active lead in both the studio’s business and developmental affairs.
“Alan will work with the rest of the Tripwire leadership team to take steps with employees and partners to address their concerns including executing a company-wide town hall meeting and promoting open dialogue with Tripwire leadership and all employees.
“His understanding of both the company’s culture and the creative vision of our games will carry the team through this transition, with full support from the other Tripwire leaders.”
We’ll update this article as soon as more information comes to light.
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