PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan’s ‘abortion rights comments’ allegedly upset staff, according to report

PlayStation employees are reportedly upset after comments made about abortion rights by PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.

According to Bloomberg, the executive urged staff to “respect differences of opinion” on the topic. It’s claimed that this was followed by “five detailed paragraphs” about his two cats’ birthdays.

The email (allegedly seen by Bloomberg) reportedly addresses the recent leak of a draft of the US Supreme Court opinion which suggested that it intended to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.

Ryan reportedly went on to say that the company is “multi-faceted and diverse, holding many different points of view.” He wrote that “we owe it to each other and to PlayStation’s millions of users to respect differences of opinion among everyone in our internal and external communities.”

He continued: “Respect does not equal agreement. But it is fundamental to who we are as a company and as a valued global brand.”

According to an internal conversation also allegedly seen by Bloomberg, several employees at PlayStation have expressed dissatisfaction and upset at the tone of the email. According to the report, some felt their rights were “disrespected or trivialized” by the email’s tone.

Abortion was made legal across the US after a landmark legal ruling in 1973, which is often referred to as Roe vs Wade.

However, a leaked document claims that the US Supreme Court – the nation’s most senior legal body – is now in favour of overturning that right.

If that happens, abortion could instantly become illegal in 22 US states. A decision is expected in late June or early July.

In the games industry, many companies have felt compelled to comment on the issue. Bungie, the Destiny developer acquired by Sony earlier this year, called the decision “a direct attack on human rights” in a blog post last week.