Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
The recent Supreme Court leak that revealed the intention to reverse Roe v. Wade, the case that made abortion leagal nationwide, has prompted widespread backlash and criticism. With several top players in the video game industry being noticeably silent on the matter, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan sent an email to employees this week, in which he expressed the need to “respect differences of opinion.”
The email that Jim Ryan sent to employees was obtained by Bloomberg, who shared its contents. In the email, Ryan describes Sony Interactive Entertainment as being “multi-faceted and diverse, holding many different points of view.” He neglected to take a stance on the matter, as many employees were likely hoping for. He went on to say that “we owe it to each other and to PlayStation’s millions of users to respect differences of opinion among everyone in our internal and external communities. Respect does not equal agreement. But it is fundamental to who we are as a company and as a valued global brand.”
Bloomberg states that internal discussions among PlayStation employees show that they weren’t a fan of Ryan’s sentiment. Not only did Jim Ryan fail to take a stance on the pending reversal of Roe v. Wade, he reportedly took several paragraphs to discuss his cats’ birthday, and the fact that he’d like to get a dog one day.
Jim Ryan has found himself under harsh criticism both within and outside of his company following his comments on the abortion debate. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bungie has been one of the few major video game companies to come out and take a clear stance on the matter, calling the leaked Supreme Court draft “a blow to freedom in America and is a direct attack on human rights.”