Tripwire CEO John Gibson Resigns After Controversial Comments About Texas Anti-Abortion Law

Following his comments in support of Texas anti-abortion law, Tripwire CEO John Gibson has withdrawn from the company behind games like Maneater and Chivalry 2.

Tripwire announced the news in addition to confirming that Co-Founding Member and current Vice President, Alan Wilson, will now serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer. In its statement, Tripwire shared that Gibson’s views do not reflect the company as a whole and that “its comments ignored the values ​​of our entire team, our partners, and much of our community at large.”

“John Gibson’s comments are his own opinion and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company,” Tripwire wrote. “His comments ignored the values ​​of our entire team, our partners, and much of our community at large. Our leadership team at Tripwire deeply regrets this and is united in our commitment to take swift action and foster a more positive environment.

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“Effective immediately, John Gibson has resigned as CEO of Tripwire Interactive. Co-founding member and current Vice President, Alan Wilson, will take over as Acting CEO. Alan has been with the company since its formation in 2005 and is an active leader. both in studio business and development matters.

“Alan will work with the rest of the Tripwire leadership team to take action with employees and partners to address their concerns, including holding a company-wide town hall meeting and promoting open dialogue with Tripwire leadership and all employees. Their understanding of the company culture and creative vision for our games will carry the team through this transition, with the full support of the other Tripwire leaders. “

Gibson’s comments mentioned above were Tweeted on September 4, with the former CEO writing that he was “proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming Texas law prohibiting abortion for babies with heartbeats.”

“As an artist I don’t get political often,” Gibson continued. “However, with so many fellow vocalists on the other side of the problem, I felt it was important to put on the record that I am a pro-life game developer.”

Following his Tweet, developers who have worked closely with Tripwire, including Shipwright Studios, which worked on both Maneater and Chivalry 2, and Chivalry 2 lead developer Torn Banner Studios, spoke out against the statement from Gibson. Shipwright Studios even went so far as to say that it was canceling its existing contracts with Tripwire under the “current leadership structure.”

The anti-abortion law in question is one that the The United States Supreme Court recently refused to block and one that prohibits most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This includes those pregnancies that were due to rape or incest. Additionally, those who sue abortion clinics could receive $ 10,000 for illegal abortion if convicted.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and in Twitch.