Video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has traveled the world, sparking numerous protests against racism in the United States. This morning we woke up to EA’s cancellation of the Madden NFL 21 announcement, as the company claims that this is not the time to talk about video games, but to denounce the current situation of people in the African-American / black community.
The hashtag BlackLivesMatter is already a trending topic on the Internet, leading a movement that denounces all acts of police brutality with the event starring Floyd as the main trigger. Creators of Valorant and League of Legends, Riot Games has spoken out condemning the hatred, prejudice, and racism that must be endured by the black community.
Naughty Dog, developers of The Last of Us, affirms that “now is not the time to keep silent” and encourages his followers to follow his example and donate to the different organizations that fight against this problem. Neil Druckmann and PlayStation have donated to the cause, along with Evan Wells, president of the studio.
“Today, and always, we support all those who oppose racism and inequality. There is no place for that in our society, or in any society. Black lives matter,” Activision said on Twitter. On the other hand, Aaron Greenberg, Xbox marketing executive, asked the public not to remain silent and sign the petition demanding justice for George Floyd.
But this was not all, as these companies have been joined by Marvel, Star Wars, Bethesda, Twitch, Summerfall Studios, Annapurna Interactive, Sony, and many more. All of them with the purpose of condemning racism and making this serious problem plaguing the black community reach every corner.
