“Immigration ban will harm us as a company” - Insomniac
Ratchet and Clank and Spider-Man maker joins chorus of game developers condemning executive order
Insomniac Games is the latest US studio to condemn President Trump's immigration ban and asks its fans to join them in opposition.
In a video posted on YouTube, Insomniac boss Ted Price says that the executive order - which bans travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the country for the next 90 days (at least) - will harm the developer as a business.
"We at Insomniac Games stand united in strongly opposing President Trump's immigration ban," he said in a video featuring the Insomniac team.
"There is no question that these orders will harm us as a company and many of our team members. So we ask: Is this the American way? Is discriminating based on religions faith or national origin American? Absolutely not. This is a deplorable, discriminatory act that we and many others across the nation believe is patently unconstitutional. We have been, we are, and always will be a nation of immigrants. If you agree with us, please do something about it, call or email your congress person expressing your opposition to this executive order. Furthermore, there are many organisations around the country that are creating opposition campaigns that you can support. So join us by being a force for good, and making your voices heard."
Already GDC and ESA have expressed concerns about the order, issuing statements of their own over the last few days, along with a swathe of development and technology firms reacting to the order - which was enacted on Friday.
Microsoft president Brad Smith wrote in an email: "We believe that immigration laws can and should protect the public without sacrificing people's freedom of expression or religion," wrote Microsoft president Brad Smith in the email. "And we believe in the importance of protecting legitimate and law-abiding refugees whose very lives may be at stake in immigration proceedings."
Several studios have even started raising money for the American Civil Liberties Union. Cardboard Computer reduced the price of Kentucky Route Zero by 50%, with all proceeds going to the ACLU.
Ridiculous Fishing and Nuclear Throne studio Vlambeer has also raised more than $10,000 for the ACLU by donating all revenue from its games and merchandise over a 24-hour period.
Playdots, meanwhile, has taken the step of inserting a message into its smartphone games Two Dots or Dots & Co, complete with an ACLU donation link.
Other developers have cancelled plans to travel to the US and GDC in the wake of the ban, including former Sony UK indie expert and now studio boss Shahid Ahmad and 1979 Revolution: Black Friday developer Navid Khonsari.
