(Bloomberg) — The chief executive officer of video game publisher Tripwire Interactive LLC stepped down late Monday following severe backlash to comments he made in support of the recent Texas anti-abortion law.
CEO John Gibson’s “comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community,” the publisher said in a statement.
Gibson, who co-founded Tripwire in 2005, said Saturday on Twitter that he supported the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to allow the Texas law to stand. The law bans abortions after six weeks and deputizes citizens to sue people who perform or aid in the procedure.
Tripwire, which publishes games such as this year’s popular medieval battler Chivalry 2, faced intense fan pressure over the weekend including calls for boycotts. Some employees also shared criticism on their own private social media accounts, saying they didn’t support Gibson’s views.
Several companies have been outspoken critics of the law and some have announced measures to help support staff that could be affected by the ban.
Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. pledged to pay legal fees for drivers who are sued, while dating app companies Match Inc. and Bumble Inc. said they would launch relief funds to help employees impacted by the legislation. GoDaddy Inc., which provides web-hosting services, said it informed the group Texas Right to Life that it needs to find a new hosting provider.
On Monday, Tripwire said in a statement that Gibson would be replaced by fellow co-founder Alan Wilson. “Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment,” the company said.
Tripwire didn’t say whether Gibson would remain with the company or retain ownership.
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