Tripwire Interactive loses partnership contract over CEO’s support of abortion ban
Tripwire Interactive has landed in some very hot water thanks to John Gibson, the president of the studio, tweeting his support for the controversial Texas abortion ban. Tripwire Interactive is the developer behind games like Killing Floor, as well as one of the most feminist games about a shark, Maneater.
On September 4th, Gibson took to Twitter and tweeted the following: “Proud 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.”
The response to Gibson’s tweet was instant, with many well-known developers such as Cory Barlog – game director behind the God of War series – voicing their shock at Gibson’s views. “Jesus f*ck, man. really? You are all about this f*cked Texas bounty law that pushes us closer to some kind of Gilead dystopian religious state?” Barlog tweeted. “I mean what the f*ck, man. Seriously, how can anyone be proud of claiming dominion over a woman’s personal freedoms?”
Even Gary Whitta, former EIC of PC Gamer and screenwriter/author of Star Wars: Rogue One and Star Wars: Rebels didn’t shy away from condemning Gibson’s views, tweeting “[W]ell that’s the last time I ever consider playing any of your games. Bye!”
It didn’t stop there for Tripwire Interactive though, because Shipwright Studios (a co-development partner of Tripwire’s) wrote up a response to Gibson’s tweet. They condemned it, and stated that “we cannot in good conscience continue to work with Tripwire under the current leadership structure. We will begin the cancellation of our existing contracts effective immediately.”
The new Texas abortion law brought in by the Supreme Court makes it so that abortions in Texas are illegal after the heartbeat of a fetus is detected. Considering it can take up to 6 weeks for some people to know whether they are pregnant or not, and that a heartbeat is usually detected 3-4 weeks after conception, this law effectively strips people of the right to control what they do with their body.
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