In the game “Maneater,” you control a shark and can rip the limbs off swimmers. On Steam, the game has a 92% positive review rating. However, the head of the studio behind the game, John Gibson, is now saying on television that Cancel Culture has destroyed him. After 17 years at the studio, he had to resign and sell the company. Gibson had expressed his support for an anti-abortion law on Twitter.
What role did Gibson play at Tripwire Studio?
- John Gibson founded the American studio “Tripwire Interactive” in 2005 together with Alan Wilson.
- He led the company until 2021 – its best-known game “Maneater” was released in 2020.
- In September 2021, he stepped down from his position. In August 2022, it was announced that the studio would be acquired by the Embracer Group.
Business partners distance themselves from the studio after “anti-abortion” tweet
What happened? In September 2021, the CEO stated on Twitter that he supported a law in Texas that prohibits abortion of an embryo once a heartbeat is detected, unless the mother’s life is at risk: the so-called “Texas Heartbeat Act”.
After the tweet, partners of his studio distanced themselves from Tripwire: Several studios that had published games through Tripwire withdrew their collaboration or announced the termination of relations.
Even the studio itself distanced itself from his statements: Gibson’s opinion did not reflect that of the studio, it was stated.
TV channel paints a picture of “reign of terror” of Cancel Culture
This is what he says now on television: Gibson was a guest on Tucker Carlson on Fox News – both the host and the channel are known for being politically conservative. They are accused of spreading “alternative facts” or even being a “propaganda tool”.
Gibson states: He was not the only one on Tripwire’s leadership team who was against abortion, but the others did not come to his defense because they did not want to end up like him.
He describes what happened to him as “social terrorism,” an effort to silence people through fear and intimidation:
People either hide or conceal who they really are to keep their jobs and social status. And I think it’s just the worst thing in the world.
At Fox News, the interview is presented as an example of how “social terrorism” influences people through intimidation and fear.
Death threats from the right made the situation even worse
How does he see his departure? In an interview with PC Gamer, Gibson explains that he voluntarily resigned at that time because the internal pressure on him from some employees was high. In addition, the case had been negatively discussed on social media and in the press.
This led to an “untenable situation” where selling the company and leaving Tripwire was the least bad option. Ultimately, he remained a major shareholder without a function in the company until Tripwire was sold to Embracer.
The situation worsened when hundreds of “far-right” individuals sent death threats to the company in revenge for his dismissal:
The death threats from the far right turned an already very difficult situation between me and the company into an almost impossible one.
Within the company, he blames no one; he was treated with class, professionalism, and very honorably.
This is how he presents it on television: On Fox, Gibson paints a picture of a perfect life that was abruptly destroyed: He worked for 20, 25 years, doing what he loves. His employees made money, bought cars and houses; the fans were happy, the employees were happy:
To see all that destroyed … to feel that. I tell you what I told my wife. I said I just want to die. Because I don’t want to live in a world that is so unjust. Yes, I was depressed. Of course I got angry, had suicidal thoughts. Didn’t want to leave the house anymore. They destroyed me. And I lived in hell for 13 months.
Gaming studios are generally apolitical, but abortion limits crossed a line
What is the stance of gaming companies on political issues? Most studios completely stay out of political issues. Ubisoft repeatedly addresses current political conflicts in its games, storming Washington or depicting real countries in South America as mafia drug hells, but states explicitly: This is all fictional and we have no political message.
EA depicts future scenarios like the EU collapsing and Germany going bankrupt, but states: We do not mean that politically at all.
However, the abortion debate in the U.S. was so invasive and impactful that many studios took a clear political stance. Above all, Destiny developer Bungie, who firmly opposed the new abortion law.
Bungie also faced criticism for this. Players said they should not express political views, but focus on their games:
Destiny 2: Bungie speaks out on abortion – Told: ‘Better stick to your games’
