Sony has reportedly taken a controversial stance when it comes to abortion rights, first emailing staff asking they “respect differences of opinion” and now refusing to approve statements from PlayStation Studios on the topic.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that PlayStation boss Jim Ryan sent out an internal email that addressed the matter of the US Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe v. Wade, and with it, nationwide abortion rights.
According to the report, Ryan’s email said, “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.”
The PlayStation head added that “respect does not equal agreement… but it is fundamental to who we are as a company and as a valued global brand.”
Bungie, a studio that’s set to be acquired by Sony, issued a statement at the start of the month that was very clear on where it stood on the issue.
“At Bungie we believe that everyone has a right to choose their own path and that freedom is expressed across all facets of life,” it read. “Bungie is committed to safeguarding the freedom and privacy of its employees and providing support to all employees affected by this decision.
“Standing up for reproductive choice and liberty is not a difficult decision to make, and Bungie remains dedicated to upholding these values.”
Standing up for reproductive choice and liberty is not a difficult decision to make, and Bungie remains dedicated to upholding these values.https://t.co/zCjZZC2NkH pic.twitter.com/c0t4s4Xp1D
— Bungie (@Bungie) May 4, 2022
Today, a Washington Post report quotes Insomniac Studios head Ted Price, who told employees that Sony PlayStation “will not approve ANY statements from any studio on the topic of reproductive rights.”
According to the report, Price made the statement to staff after they’d made “repeated requests” to issue a formal statement on the matter.
“As far as our freedom of speech goes, while we do have a LOT of autonomy that often gets taken for granted, there are times where we need to acknowledge we’re part of a larger organization,” Price said, addressing a follow-up question. “For the most part, our ability to tweet has been unfettered. However, there are rare times when we’re in opposition (like this week) and SIE will have the final say.”
Insomniac has plans to donate $50,000 USD to the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP); while Sony won’t approve a statement from the PlayStation Studios developer, it will match Insomniac’s donation.
Sadly, the report continues to say that Insomniac employees are “forbidden from explicitly mentioning Insomniac or Sony should they decide to retweet any announcements the WRRAP might make.”
We’ve asked Sony for comment on the matter, but as of late we won’t be expecting a reply from the company.
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