Xbox has been speaking out on social media about the anti-racism protests currently talking place in the US surrounding the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
In a statement on Twitter, the brand echoed Microsoft's tweet about using its platform to "amplify voices from the Black and African American community at Microsoft."
"Xbox stands together with our fans, creators, colleagues, friends, and the entire African American & Black Community against systemic racism and injustice.
We are proud to join with @Microsoft in amplifying Black and African American voices."
Xbox also later retweeted a statement from PlayStation which denounced "systemic racism and violence against the Black community." Xbox responded by saying, "we stand together."
[source twitter.com]
Comments (19)
Good. Can we all show our support?
I'm still finding the conversation over on the other forum disgusting. People are being physically hurt and our gaming cousins seem to think that the convo should be on the motivations of corporations rather than the violence.
Love to see it!
@Richnj I think it's the way Sony worded it "We want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard" with the PS blue and white text and the PS logo. Also, comparing the importance of a games video with that and mentioning fans is a bit off.
@Richnj I think it's also harder for them since it's mainly a European site. There are a lot of issues going on in the world so for Sony to focus on some and not others strikes these people as odd.
Like I wrote in a previous article I get Sony's decision. They want to have their celebration when they feel it's appropriate. I also get why people are disappointed. This is what they've been waiting months for. I think it's ok to support both parties.
@BlueOcean They never mentioned fans; and who cares about the font. Leave the console wars be.
I’m as disappointed as everyone else, about Sony pushing their conference back, but I respect them and Activision for postponing their next season (I’m not a CoD player). I get everyone’s disappointment and frustration, especially those across the pond, but these are the times we live in. This may predominantly be a US event, but racism and brutality isn’t, it happens everywhere, so I can respect these companies for pushing their events back to keep the focus on these important topics.
I know many are saying it’s a PR move, that may very well be true, but the fact of the matter is, they’d be criticized if they didn’t show some form of respect or support, just as they are for showing it. I think this is the right side of the fence to be on. It’ll frustrate people, but no one is going to stop playing CoD or not get a PS5/Series X because these companies are showing support in the BLM movement.
@Richnj I think I'm one of those people you seem to be referring to. I completely abhor the situation that's happened/is happening in America right now.
I do however question the motivation behind the cancellation. Questioning that isn't disgusting behaviour at all so calm down.
@__jamiie weren't the events in America already happening when Sony announced the event?
@teknium_ they absolutely were. He was killed May 25th.
@Odium what a well thought out comment..but would people have complained if the event had gone ahead and if so what exactly would they have been complaining about?
Has the future games event on Saturday been cancelled?
I would have liked Sony to actually do something active rather than just cancelling the event,maybe they could have had someone speak out about BLM during the event or even have it as a fund raiser
@teknium_ Yes they announced the event on Friday and cancelled it yesterday.
@teknium_ Obviously this is just speculation on my end, but my concern is that people would complain that the companies don’t care about the matter and are trying to capitalize on distracting people away from it. Sadly, the event was postponed with no new date. I agree that putting something before hand or after would have been a great way to show support while still keeping people happy with their showcase. Unfortunately, it’s an extremely delicate situation no matter how they try to move forward.
2020 has been a really troubled year. :<
But I’m glad some attention is on it. Because this is more what the movement needs not violence. They set City Hall on fire here, and I think that hurts the movement more than helps. And even if it’s not completely from a pure place corporate support brings more attention. Which does help, so I’m glad MS is doing this.
Also, I know it kind of sucks for the PS fans, to be fair I’d be disappointed to if it was the July Xbox show. So I get it ..
@Octane You are absolutely wrong. They literally said "While we understand that gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games...". The message and the timing as explained above by other people aren't sincere and I have every right to say it, thank you.
@RedShirtRod That's exactly what's happening. I haven't read any comment on PureXbox saying that Sony should release their "digital event" (video) now. I haven't read what's going on PushSquare because they are too fanatic over there about PS. I'm sure that we all understand Sony's decision. It's the way they've worded it and how little they care about other conflicts around the world what strikes us as odd.
@zane547 I agree. USA is a big market and companies are very careful about what they say about conflicts that take place there but some basically ignore what happens everywhere else. I don't approve a policeman killing a man (black or white) unnecessarily, I don't approve protesters beating a man that was just defending his little shop and I applaud Twitter for openly disapproving Donald Trump.
@__jamiie I couldn't tell you if your particular comment is what I'm referring to.
But, the next time gamers get labelled as immature and/or racist, just think back to these comments and how hundreds of comments questioning Sony's motivations and being upset over a delayed console reveal were reasonable input, but my comment questioning the priorities of those commentors when surely the conversation should be on the protests themselves and how I was the one told to calm down.
Like I get that these are gaming forums, but I saw far more gamers throwing out support for the Hong Kong protesters than I can see for the BLM protesters. And no matter which why you try to explain that, it is disgusting.
@Richnj
It’s Push Square, so I am not surprised. That is a toxic pit over there.
@BlueOcean I don't see the issue with that statement. They were going to reveal the PS5, people were looking forward to it, and they decided to cancel it. I don't see what's so dubious about it. How else do you want them to word it? They uploaded two Tweets; one about the protests, followed by the one you are referring to specifically about cancelling the event.
And the formatting of their cancellation message is no different from Nintendo's Tweet honestly.
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