Insomniac Games will reportedly donate $50,000 to abortion nonprofit WRRAP following internal debate at Sony, which is now said to be matching the studio's donation and additionally working to financially support employees who may be forced to travel for reproductive care.
That's according to a new report from The Washington Post, which cites an email sent by Insomniac CEO Ted Price following a separate email from PlayStation president Jim Ryan.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Ryan had urged employees to "respect differences of opinion" on the leaked opinion from the US Supreme Court regarding abortion precedent Roe v. Wade. The content and tone of the email, particularly a flippant sign-off from Ryan relaying carefree stories about his pets, are said to have angered many employees.
In his email, Price notes that Ryan's directive prompted a "near-60 page" letter sent from Insomniac to PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, collecting statements calling for the company's leadership to support the employees who would be affected by the precedent being overturned and reproductive care being constrained as a result.
In the fallout of the leaked decision, several states have rapidly pushed legislation that would severely restrict abortion access, meaning travel across states may become necessary when seeking reproductive care. Sony is reportedly planning "to formulate an initiative" to assist employees who find themselves facing this ordeal, with Insomniac helping to shape that initiative.
The Washington Post also reports that Insomniac, as well as all other Playstation studios, are still barred from publicly speaking out on abortion and the Supreme Court opinion, but that Sony will still match Insomniac's $50,000 donation to the WRRAP, as well as any individual donations filed through the company's PlayStation Cares program. Neither company has commented on the donations publicly at the time of writing.
Destiny 2 developer Bungie, which will become a Sony studio following the closure of a $3.6 billion acquisition, was among the first major game studios to publicly support pro-choice initiatives following the leaked opinion, assuring its audience that it would "never" just stick to games.
