John Gibson was until yesterday the CEO of the publisher Tripwire Interactive (Chivalry 2, Maneater). However, he has now stepped down after making positive comments on Twitter about the abortion law in Texas. This brought him a lot of criticism from the gaming industry.
What was the tweet about? John Gibson praised the controversial abortion ban law in the U.S. state of Texas on Twitter, stating:
I am proud that the #USSupremeCourt has upheld the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat. As an entertainer, I don’t often speak politically. But with so many vocal colleagues on the other side of this issue, it was important for me to speak out as a pro-life game developer.
John Gibson via Twitter
However, this tweet brought him a lot of criticism. The developer Shipwright Studios, who worked on games like Chivalry and Maneater, even claimed to have terminated all contracts with Tripwire Interactive.
Even the studio behind Chivalry 2, Torn Banner Studios, distanced itself from the tweet, emphasizing that this opinion does not reflect that of the development studio (via Twitter).
What has happened now? In a statement, Tripwire Interactive announced that John Gibson had stepped down following his comments. He will temporarily be replaced by Alan Wilson, one of the company’s co-founders, as the new CEO.
Additionally, private individuals can file civil lawsuits against people who assist pregnant women in seeking an abortion or information about it. These assisting individuals can be sued for up to $10,000. It is considered the strictest abortion law in the U.S., and President Biden also expressed his opposition (via Zeit.de).
“His comments disregarded the values of our entire team”
What does the statement say? The company stated that Gibson’s remarks disregarded the values of the team, partners, and a large part of the community. The leadership of Tripwire deeply regrets the statement and acted accordingly:
John Gibson’s comments are his own opinion and do not reflect that of Tripwire Interactive as a company. His comments disregarded the values of our entire team, our partners, and a large part of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire deeply regrets this and agrees that we want to act quickly and create a more positive environment.
With immediate effect, John Gibson has stepped down from his position as CEO of Tripwire Interactive. Alan Wilson, co-founder and currently vice president, will assume the CEO role on an interim basis.
In the further course of the statement, Alan Wilson is presented in more detail, who has been part of the team since 2005 and has assisted in all major areas.
Additionally, Tripwire aims to take further steps to seek dialogue on the topic with employees and partners:
Alan, along with the rest of the Tripwire leadership team, will take action to address the concerns of employees and partners. This includes conducting a company-wide town hall meeting and fostering an open dialogue with Tripwire leadership and all employees. His understanding of both the company culture and the creative vision of our games will guide the team through this transition, with the full support of the other Tripwire executives.
This is not the first time comments on Twitter have led to a resignation. At the company “Vertagear,” a manufacturer of gaming chairs, there was a firing of the social media officer who tried to gain new followers with clichés and memes, leading to a backlash:
Company tweets about streamers on Twitch, receives sexism backlash, fires someone
