On Friday, January 27th, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designed to cast sweeping reform on immigration. The order blocked entrants from seven Middle-Eastern and African countries the administration believes is harboring terrorists. The order was met with heavy opposition as it blockaded people with legal visas, green cards, and dual citizenship. Protests broke out at airports across the country over the weekend and many industry leaders, including Insomniac Games, weighed in on their position over what many are calling an immigration ban. You can see Insomniac’s statement in the video below.

Insomniac Games released the video yesterday (January 30th) offering in clear terms their opposition to the executive order. CEO and founder Ted Price can be seen in the video below surrounded by staff at the California office in Burbank. Price opened with the following statement:

At Insomniac we employ people of all national origins and religious faiths.

The Insomniac Games CEO believes that this is the central strength of the company, allowing them to tell stories that make the world a better place. He was joined by members of the North Carolina office as well via video conference to share the message directly with his employees. Once he had explained that his company is diverse, and thrives on diversity, he went on to explain their position on the executive order.

“We at Insomniac games stand united in strongly opposing President Trump’s immigration ban. There’s 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 religious 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 we will always be a nation of immigrants.”

His position made clear Price went on to call those in agreement to action. He asked viewers to contact their representatives, make their voices heard, and support organizations creating campaigns of opposition. The Insomniac Games CEO closed the video statement with asking viewers to join them as a force for good against what they believe to be an unconstitutional order.

The Insomniac Games team is one of many industry voices making a firm stand against the executive order affecting immigration. Representatives from the Entertainment Software Association, Venture Beat, Game Developers Conference, Microsoft, and Dots have all noted the importance of immigrants in the industry. Some went as far as to caution the White House on the damage they believe this order will cause.

While political turmoil is never far from the world of games, it is often a place to escape that trouble for a time. As the strife of political rivalries and questions on the legality of executive orders continue to flare up, it may only be a matter of time before the industry finds itself in the mix once more. We can only hope that leaders on all sides move forward with grace and civility as we seek answers and take action in these troubled times.

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