Today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 50-year historic ruling that legalized abortion as a constitutional right across the country. This was expected after an unprecedented leak earlier this year, and it is now expected that more than half of U.S. states will introduce restrictions or bans on the advancing procedure.
As a result, many companies and brands are in favor of reproductive rights. This includes the numerous PlayStation studios. This is relevant because it was previously reported that Sony had blocked its affiliates to comment on the issue, although Insomniac Games made a private donation of $ 50,000 to the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP), which was matched by the Japanese manufacturer.
pic.twitter.com/2Wctq89F4m— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/p71soD6hRj— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/uHRS2Z6mYJ – God of Santa Monica Studio War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/zbqTGdVSio: Bend Studio is hiring! (@BendStudio) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/BBHM8NC0qy— San Diego Studio (@SonySanDiego) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/IAnrXaFbqC— Sucker Punch Productions 🎮 Ghost of Tsushima (@SuckerPunchProd) 24 June 2022 pic.twitter.com/Jl0MNKjt8p— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/T46zqCSZrx— Media Molecule (@mediamolecule) June 24, 2022 pic.twitter.com/cVwWMQXGK7— PlayStation London Studio is hiring! (@LondonStudioHQ) June 24, 2022 Reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy are human rights.— Haven Studios (@HavenStudiosInc) June 24, 2022
It all follows a controversial email sent by the group’s chairman, Jim Ryan, in which he asked staff to “respect differences of opinion” on the subject. This sparked a 60-page response from Insomniac Games, which was sent to PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst, demanding that PlayStation leadership “do better for employees who are directly affected.”
Sony has implemented plans to “provide financial assistance to employees who may have to travel to different states to receive reproductive care.” To date, however, the manufacturer had prevented its studies from publicly commenting on the matter. This position has softened, with a coordinated explosion of their top teams on social media.
It’s important to note that not only American developers like Insomniac Games and Sucker Punch have spoken out in favor of reproductive rights, but also European teams like Media Molecule, London Studio and Guerrilla Games. Meanwhile, key employees, such as Naughty Dog co-chairs Neil Druckmann and Evan Wells, have donated to charities such as NARAL and the company has matched their contributions.