A new report suggests Insomniac Games demanded Sony support abortions, amidst outcry over the pending Roe v. Wade SCOTUS case for ending unborn babies lives.
The new report comes via alleged leaked emails (via WaPo) from company CEO Ted Price, where Insomniac Games demanded Sony support abortions and match their $50,000 in donations to the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP).
An internal email from Price sent on May 13th notes that Sony will match the company’s big $50,000 donation, as well as individual donations from Insomniac staff via their PlayStation Cares program.
Furthermore, Sony is reportedly planning to provide financial assistance to employees who need to travel to states where terminating unborn babies is still legal. Insomniac Games is also helping in building this company policy.
Here’s where things get interesting – these purported plans and emails were never meant to go public, as Sony Interactive President Jim Ryan made it clear in previously leaked emails that they wanted all employees to “respect differences of opinion” on the subject of abortion.
The email also explicitly states that Sony or Insomniac Games employees are forbidden for mentioning either company if they post on social media or share any potential messages the WRRAP might post.
Price also reveals in the email they sent a near-60 page document, where Insomniac Games demanded Sony support abortions and have leadership make public statements in support.
Part of the alleged email is structured like a Q&A with questions from employees, where Price also mentioned Insomniac isn’t allowed to make a statement on abortion or its donation.
“There would be material repercussions for us as a wholly owned subsidiary,” Price said. “Among other things, any progress that we might make in helping change [Sony Interactive Entertainment’s] approach would be stopped dead in its tracks. We’d also probably be severely restricted from doing important public-facing work in the future.”
An employee asked if Sony’s acquisition of Insomniac Games back in 2020 is “now impacting our freedom of speech and our values.”
“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. “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.”
Editor’s Note: Featured image is from Insomniac Games’ Sunset Overdrive
