Electronic Arts, the parent company of Respawn Entertainment, Maxis, and several other game developers, has released a statement supporting women’s rights and transgender rights.
The company posted an image on its official Twitter account that reads, “As a company, we are united that Trans Rights are Human Rights. Women’s Rights are Human Rights. Our support is unwavering for our people, our players, and our LGBTQ+ communities.”
The tweet also included a link to a blog post that explains the company’s thoughts on Pride month and details plans to support the LGBTQ+ community. The statement comes after a May 24 internal meeting in which EA reportedly said it would not take a public stance on these issues until the message has a “consistent perspective.”
Earlier this week, EA’s silence was mired in controversy. The company’s refusal to take a public stance in favor of trans rights and the right to abortion prompted employees to threaten to walk out.
“Just slapping a rainbow on our logo in June without any broader action will be unacceptable,” an EA employee said in a Slack message.
The company responded with an internal email detailing its goals and social media expectations for employees during Pride month, but many believed the company needed to make a public statement in the wake of anti-abortion and anti-trans laws springing up across the US.
Not all employees were following EA’s initial silence. Respawn head Vince Zampella posted a tweet calling for trans rights and commending Respawn’s growth “on the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusion.”
Lyndsay Pearson, VP of franchise creative for The Sims at Maxis, tweeted a similar statement on the same day. The next day, the official Respawn account tweeted an image of Apex Legends‘ LGBTQ+ characters alongside the statement “Trans rights are human rights.”
