Bungie Criticizes Gaming Industry for Racism After Buffalo Shooting

Bungie took a dig at the recent mass shooting incident on May 14, 2022, at a supermarket. The game developer called out gaming companies for the prevailing cases of racism and radicalization within their online communities.

Bungie recommended that it was time for the companies to examine how the cases could be curbed as their respective platforms are often used to recruit and radicalize individuals.

Through an official blog post, Bungie took a stance of quoting that racist attacks begin within the online gaming communities adding that it was time to play their part in preventing such tragedies.

Black at Bungie, an inclusion club at Bungie, immediately raised the concern by pinning Be Heard at the top of the company’s merchandise store. Black at Bungie announced that it would be donating the profits for the next year to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The aim is to partner with Player Support & Community teams to implement better practices for maintaining a safe & anti-racist space in the gaming ecosystem.

A polarizing issue where Bungie earlier weighed in was the abortion rights brought to the surface by Roe vs. Wade legal case. However, many in the gaming community fear that Sony could muzzle the stance of Bungie after it purchases Bungie for $3.6 billion.

Sony had reportedly done that before with other companies that it acquired. For instance, Sony had prohibited Insomniac Games from sharing a single word on the $50,000 worth pledge for the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Projects, also known as WRRAP.

An email was sent to the employees of Insomniac Games by their Chief Executive Officer, Ted Price, stating that Sony had refused to weigh in on the matter publicly.

Skill Up, a YouTuber, published a Tweet saying that it would be bad if Sony stopped Bungie from publicly talking about any such matter. Dylan Gafner, a Senior Community Manager at Bungie, responded, saying Bungie would continue to be Bungie.

Dylan added that there would never be a muzzle big enough to stop them from standing up for what’s right. The statement has been affirmed by Pete Parson, the Chief Executive Officer of Bungie, with a single yes.

Online gaming has been a good space for players to connect with strangers, and they have taken this opportunity to expand their network by adding more gamers to their list. Unfortunately, some of them turned it into demeaning by filling the virtual space with vitriol and other forms of harassment & abuse.

Microsoft and Ubisoft have invested their efforts to detoxify the gaming community. In contrast, a larger portion of the gaming industry remains in the dark under the impression that they would be alienating a big part of their potential buyer.