How does Donald Trump's controversial executive order on Watch Ava Onlineimmigration affect the video games industry?
Gaming is a global business, after all. Publishers and developers operate in just about every region of the world, and most support teams represent a vast assortment of nationalities.
SEE ALSO: 2 big names in video games take on Trump's immigration banTrump's executive order potentially spells trouble for those who make and sell games. For the next 90 days, travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen -- all predominantly Muslim nations -- are barred from entering the United States. A similar ban on travel from Syria also now stands indefinitely.
The next major gaming event on the horizon is the annual Game Developer's Conference, which runs from Feb. 27 to March 3 -- right inside Trump's travel ban window -- in San Francisco. That's why it was no surprise to see a swift response from the trade show's organizers, via Twitter.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The International Game Developer's Association -- which meets at GDC every year -- confirmed to Polygonthat only two of its 8,000 members come from one of the seven countries affected by the ban. But that's not the point, the IGDA notes.
"[The] issue isn't necessarily the affect on these specific countries but on the general spread of xenophobia in the U.S. government and how it will certainly affect the U.S.'s ability to hire talent and remain globally competitive," the organization's executive director, Kate Edwards, noted.
The Entertainment Software Association issued a statement of its own on Monday, Jan. 30. This one directly addresses the new immigration policy, raising concerns that echo those pointed out in the IGDA's response.
Here's the ESA statement in full:
The Entertainment Software Association urges the White House to exercise caution with regard to vital immigration and foreign worker programs. As a leading force in technology and exporter of entertainment, the U.S. video game industry thrives on the contributions of innovators and storytellers from around the world. While recognizing that enhancing national security and protecting our country’s citizens are critical goals, our companies rely on the skilled talent of U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, and immigrants alike. Our nation’s actions and words should support their participation in the American economy.
We've reached out to a number of publishers and hardware manufacturers individually, and you can find those words below. Xbox-maker Microsoft issued a statement over the weekend.
Bethesda Softworks responded with the following statement:
We are a global company with employees of every race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. As such, we will always support diversity and acceptance over division and exclusion.
There's no public statement from EA, but a company spokesperson shared the following internal message from CEO Andrew Wilson:
A Ubisoft spokesperson had this to say:
Ubisoft’s video games are designed, developed and produced by multicultural teams of various beliefs and faiths from countries all over the world. We believe diversity in all of its forms fosters creativity and understanding. It enables us to create immersive, credible game worlds for our players, who are themselves increasingly diverse. Our finest achievements as a company, as an industry, and as a society are the product of collaboration that respects each other’s unique backgrounds, perspectives and talents. We oppose discrimination of any kind, and will continue to focus on inclusivity because we believe it is a value that brings us together and make us stronger.
Zynga reached out with both a statement from CEO Frank Gibeau as well as an internal email on the ban:
Insomniac Games founder Ted Price recorded a video response to Trump's executive order with the studio's multi-ethnic team gathered around him:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Here's a statement from iNK Stories, the studio behind 1979 Revolution: Black Friday -- an episodic game set during the Iranian Revolution. The studio will also be donating proceeds from sales made between Feb. 1 and Feb. 10 to the American Civil Liberties Union.
There's also a separate statement, from iNK Stories founder and 1979 Revolutioncreator Navid Khonsari.
This is deeply personal, as my family made the hard decision to leave Iran after the revolution, to come to the West, which was the land of inclusion. Today, I feel like I am reliving history. While it's easy to be immobilized by hurt and hopelessness, I believe that now more than ever we are confronted with an obligation, where we must dig in, resist and unite. Silence is not an option—so I commend those in our community who are taking action and hope that other game developers and publishers will join in, as we partake in this crucial movement -- coming from all religious, national, ethnic and generational backgrounds to denounce the ban - and stand with humanity, by saying that this is not right, willing to rise up against the injustice.
Blizzard reached out to share an internal email from CEO Mike Morhaime addressing Trump's executive order. Here it is:
Harmonix issued a statement via Twitter:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Devolver Digital stepped up with a statement and then some. The indie publisher offered to demo games at GDC for anyone affected by the immigration ban.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Capcom, Nintendo, Sony, and Square-Enix responded as well, pointing us to the ESA statement above. The Pokémon Company opted against commenting on the matter.
Activision has yet to respond to Mashable's repeated comment requests.
Drop us a line if you spot any other public-facing statements from business interests in the games industry. You can find me on Twitter @geminibros and my DMs are currently open.
Topics Gaming Politics
TikTok's 'Untitled Bridgerton Musical' just won a GrammyFacebook says it just chose a side in the encryption debateTwitter introduces new policies aimed at Russia stateApple confirms virtual WWDC 2022 for JuneMeta is reportedly exploring 'Zuck Bucks' virtual currencyTesla's weird Cyber Rodeo event: All the highlightsCash App is notifying 8.2 million U.S. customers of a data breachHow an Instagram post about 'saggy boobs' led to a global movement to empower women'Sailor Moon' pioneered LGBTQ representation for anime kidsLittle girl on her first day of kindergarten is all of us realizing summer's pretty much overElon Musk was once tech's angel. Now he's an overplayed meme.The Academy bans Will Smith from the Oscars for 10 years following Chris Rock slapElon Musk joins Twitter Board of directorsHow an average 21Google will sell Pixel parts for selfHow to watch the first civilian astronauts launch to the ISSThis backpack made for Shaq is too large for us tiny mortalsJack Dorsey's Block is working on crypto wallet that looks like a rockHow an average 21Google Maps update adds toll roads and traffic lights Pebble wearables will receive support from Fitbit through 2017 Quintessentially Canadian video shows peckish moose licking salt off car Disney and MLB purchase streaming rights for 'League of Legends' Vanity Fair is riding high on its Trump feud These beautiful sea smoke images are one silver lining of the polar vortex Union Square 'Subway Therapy' wall will be preserved Wild Siberian survival reality show sounds a lot like 'Hunger Games' 7 things to get excited about in the upcoming 'Doctor Who' episodes Watch the world's most intense 'rock, paper, scissors' victory ever and weep Report explains the privacy issues of wearable health data collection YouTube wants YouTubers to be less angry about subscriptions The 'Saved by the Bell' diner is coming to a city near you Facebook’s fake news fix comes way too late Forget standing, kneeling desks should be the new office trend Woman rescues her attacked pup with a tip she learned on Reddit Apple's software has been anything but 'magical' lately One in four Americans shared fake news online, Pew survey finds Amazon Prime Video is censoring content in India, but it's not as bad as you might think A Russian embassy's Twitter account is taking shots at the U.S. Verizon will disable Samsung Galaxy Note 7s on January 5
2.4619s , 10155.4609375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Watch Ava Online】,Miracle Information Network