The video games industry responds to Trump's immigration ban
How does Donald Trump's controversial executive order on immigration 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.
Trump'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.
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The International Game Developer's Association -- which meets at GDC every year -- confirmed to Polygon that 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:
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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 Revolution creator 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:
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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.
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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.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
