Washington Post demands video game companies back pro-abortion activists

It opens up by stating that some of the video gaming industry’s largest companies have "remained conspicuously quiet" following the leaking of a draft Supreme Court opinion, in which a majority of the justices indicated that they would overturn the 1973 ruling. "Though not all," the article adds.

The two reporters said that they reached out to 20 major video game companies and studios about "whether they planned to make a statement regarding Roe’s potential repeal or provide employees with monetary aid in places where abortions would no longer be available."

They noted that only Microsoft and Activision Blizzard responded to them with statements.

"Microsoft will continue to do everything we can under the law to protect our employees’ rights and support employees and their enrolled dependents in accessing critical health care — which already includes services like abortion and gender-affirming care — regardless of where they live across the US," reads a statement issued to The Post.

"This support is being extended to include travel expense assistance for these and other medical services where access to care is limited in availability in an employee’s home geographic region," the statement added.

"We are committed to an inclusive environment that is supportive of all of our employees,” said Rich George, a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard. "As a company, providing fair and equitable health care is a top priority, and we will closely monitor developments in the coming weeks and months."

Other big-name companies like Bungie, and smaller indie gaming companies have released their own statements on the matter independently.

Bungie, the studio behind many of the Halo titles and the Destiny series, issued a statement saying that "The leaked draft decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade represents a blow to freedom in America and is a direct attack on human rights."

"By creating a divide between those who possess the fundamental right to make healthcare decisions that are right for them, and those who do not possess that same freedom, this decision, should it become final, will have far-reaching consequences that will be felt for generations across socio-economic lines," the company added.

Bungie’s statement received negative feedback on Twitter with users expressing discontent with the company taking sides in politics.

Attempting to explain the lack of statements issued by other gaming companies, The Washington Post used the response to Bungie’s statement as an example.

"On Twitter, thousands of people replied to Bungie’s statement about reproductive rights, with some angrily chastising the studio for being too political. As a result, companies tend to carefully consider responses in cases like these, when they respond at all," they wrote.

"The response to Bungie’s post might offer a clue as to why some companies remain mum on the matter," they wrote. "Gamers have a tendency to bristle at issues pertaining to women both in-game and out, as evidenced by regular online blowups against prominent women in the industry pioneered by 2014?s 'GamerGate' movement, and a series of recent scandals surrounding sexism and corporate culture within companies like Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft, as well as on live-streaming platforms like Twitch."

One employee told The Washington Post that Bungee has expressed interest in offering monetary support for employees located in places like Texas.

One email to employees from Bungie to employees obtained by the outlet stated that "in the longer term we are investigating ways to help affected employees preserve their right to essential health care both in Washington state and those working remotely."