Roe v. When Wade was overthrown, Team Meat, the creator of the Super Meat Boy platform game, had one thing to say: “The Supreme Court can handle itself.”
More than a week ago the court handed down its landmark decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, terminating the legal right to abortion in America. The ability of a person to get the health they want now will be determined by the apatchwork of country-by-laws and regulations. Team Meat’s tweet, created by the company’s media manager, is the organization’s plan for the issue. “Everyone at Team Meat stands by this fully,” founder Tommy Refenes tells WIRED. “These are the very words that have been carefully worded. A complete sentence. “
In the wake of the June 24 ruling, the video industry has been speaking out in support of anyone seeking abortion. Companies such as Microsoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Bungie all claim to be providing travel benefits to employees in countries with limited access to gender-based assistance or abortion services. “Bungie’s position is that overthrow Roe v. Wade represents a revolution that undermines human rights and undermines the freedom of all Americans,” Bungie spokeswoman Xandre Chateaubriand says. “We will continue to stand up for the rights of all people and will continue to do our best to work well with our employees and our community at every step of this endeavor.” Most of the companies have published public documents that support reproductive freedom.
Those in the jurisdiction with laws that enforce the law – prohibit abortions to the point of complete abortion and impose criminal sanctions on anyone who seeks them or, in some cases, even discuss how to obtain them – face a difficult way to protect workers. Texas is home to popular studios such as Arkane Studios Austin, Bethesda Game Studios Austin, Devolver Digital, Gearbox Software, Id Software, and Zynga. It also contains some of the country’s most controversial abortion laws, which ban abortion after six weeks in 2021.
The public response from most of the Texas companies has been milquetoast. Bethesda issued a statement on Twitter that “believes that the ability to make decisions about your body and lifestyle is a human right.” Devolver Digital just posted on Twitter, “Reproductive rights are human rights.” Some, like Gearbox, have not issued any statements at all.
But manufacturers at Texas studios say silently talking openly about Dobbs or the help of employees seeking abortion is not about lack of support, but fear of setting a goal behind it. “We are doing everything we can to help and be available to each other,” a producer at the Texas game studio with direct knowledge of company law tells WIRED. “Defending our team is a major concern, especially with such ignorance about possible regulations in Texas and elsewhere.” Sports producers in the regions with abortion support can speak out in their support without the same fear of legal consequences.
