Update 3 9/6: After a day of public commotion related to John Gibson's tweet Tripwire Interactive has just published their formal statement. In this statement, they announce that John Gibson has stepped down as CEO and that Co-founding member and current Vice President Alan Wilson has taken over as interim CEO.
The statement further clarifies that Gibsons comments were his own opinion and not only do not reflect those of the company, but "disregarded the values of [the] whole team, [their] partners and much of [their] broader community. You can read the full statement at their website or below:
Update 2 9/6: Torn Banner Studios, the developers of Chivalry 2 (published by Tripwire Interactive) have condemned Gibson's remarks in a tweet, saying:
We do not share the opinion expressed in a recent tweet by the president of Tripwire, publisher of Chivalry 2. This perspective is not shared by our team, nor is it reflected in the games we create. The statement stands in opposition to what we believe about women’s rights.
Update: Shipwright Studios, a work-for-hire developer which has worked with Tripwire for over three years, has announced that it will begin canceling present contracts with Tripwire Studios. "We cannot in good conscience continue to work with Tripwire under the current leadership structure," wrote their official Twitter account.
— Shipwright Studios (@shipwrightstdio) September 5, 2021
Original Story:
John Gibson, President of Tripwire Interactive, sparked a social media firestorm after his comments seemingly in support of a recently-passed abortion law in the state of Texas. The Texas Abortion Law, formally known as Senate Bill 8, took effect September 1.
Gibson made the comments yesterday afternoon in a tweet from his personal Twitter, saying:
Proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat. As an entertainer I don’t get political often. Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.
Though it initially flew under the radar, it quickly gained traction as Jason Schreier shared the tweet and brought attention to Gibson's comments. At time of writing, the tweet had attracted over a thousand quote tweets, with many quote tweets starting their own extensive threads. Gibson has not tweeted since voicing his support for Senate Bill 8, though he is currently attending PAX West, a large yearly gaming convention hosted in Seattle, Washington. Numerous members of the gaming industry have spoken out in condemnation of Gibson's remarks. Among them are a Narrative Designer at Ubisoft, a former Epic Games dev, and a Senior Producer of Perfect Dark, who opined that Gibson didn't understand women's healthcare or the Supreme Court.
Perhaps most notably was the coincidentally named John Gibson (no known relation between the two), co-owner of iam8bit who said,
As a fellow Jon Gibson, I demand that you legally change your name. I’m absolutely mortified that I have to share an industry and a namesake with you.
It’s not your body, so it’s not your choice.
Tripwire Interactive was founded in 2005 and based in Roswell, Georgia. Other titles by the company include Red Orchestra, Rising Storm, and Maneater. The studio has also published several other games under its label, including Zeno Clash and Chivalry 2. TechRaptor reached out to Tripwire Interactive for an official statement on the situation, but the studio had not provided a statement by time of this article's publication. TechRaptor will update this piece should Tripwire issue a comment.
