Following Texas Governor Greg Abbott's order in February 2022 that called for child protective services to investigate families of transgender children who were receiving gender-affirming healthcare for child abuse, 65 companies have signed a letter asking for Abbot to abandon these anti-LGBTQ+ efforts.

As reported by Kotaku, these 65 companies - a list that includes Electronic Arts, Gearbox Entertainment, and Microsoft - signed the letter that was organized by the LGBTQ+ organization the Human Rights Campaign and was posted in the Friday edition of the Dallas Morning News as a full-page advertisement.

The ad copy was shared by Rebecca Marques, the Texas director of HRC, on Twitter.

This will run in the Dallas Morning News this morning. #ProtectTransKids #txlege pic.twitter.com/rviiklLbJr

— Rebecca Marques (@_RebeccaMarques) March 11, 2022

"Our companies do business, create jobs, and serve customers in Texas," the letter reads. "We are committed to building inclusive environments where our employees can thrive inside and outside of the workplace. For years we have stood to ensure LGBTQ+ people - our employees, customers, and their families - are safe and welcomed in the communities where we do business.

"The recent attempt to criminalize a parent for helping their transgender child access medically necessary, age-appropriate healthcare in the state of Texas goes against the values of our companies. This policy creates fear for employees and their families, especially those with transgender children, who might now be faced with choosing to provide the best possible medical care for their children but risk having those children removed by child protective services for doing so. It is only one of several efforts discriminating against transgender youth that are advancing across the country.

"We call on our public leaders - in Texas and across the country - to abandon efforts to write discrimination into law and policy. It's not just wrong, it has an impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work."

EA, Microsoft, and Gearbox are members of the pro-LGBTQ business network Texas Competes and Gearbox itself has previously taken a stand against a previous bill that proposed banning transgender youth from participating in sports.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Following Texas Governor Greg Abbott's order in February 2022 that called for child protective services to investigate families of transgender children who were receiving gender-affirming healthcare for child abuse, 65 companies have signed a letter asking for Abbot to abandon these anti-LGBTQ+ efforts.

As reported by Kotaku, these 65 companies - a list that includes Electronic Arts, Gearbox Entertainment, and Microsoft - signed the letter that was organized by the LGBTQ+ organization the Human Rights Campaign and was posted in the Friday edition of the Dallas Morning News as a full-page advertisement.

The ad copy was shared by Rebecca Marques, the Texas director of HRC, on Twitter.

This will run in the Dallas Morning News this morning. #ProtectTransKids #txlege pic.twitter.com/rviiklLbJr

— Rebecca Marques (@_RebeccaMarques) March 11, 2022

"Our companies do business, create jobs, and serve customers in Texas," the letter reads. "We are committed to building inclusive environments where our employees can thrive inside and outside of the workplace. For years we have stood to ensure LGBTQ+ people - our employees, customers, and their families - are safe and welcomed in the communities where we do business.

"The recent attempt to criminalize a parent for helping their transgender child access medically necessary, age-appropriate healthcare in the state of Texas goes against the values of our companies. This policy creates fear for employees and their families, especially those with transgender children, who might now be faced with choosing to provide the best possible medical care for their children but risk having those children removed by child protective services for doing so. It is only one of several efforts discriminating against transgender youth that are advancing across the country.

"We call on our public leaders - in Texas and across the country - to abandon efforts to write discrimination into law and policy. It's not just wrong, it has an impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work."

EA, Microsoft, and Gearbox are members of the pro-LGBTQ business network Texas Competes and Gearbox itself has previously taken a stand against a previous bill that proposed banning transgender youth from participating in sports.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Perfect Dark game director Dan Neuburger has seemingly left The Initiative after working with the company for nearly four years.

As reported by VGC, ResetERA user Klobrille noticed the change on Neuburger's LinkedIn profile that shows February 2022 was his last month at The Initiative. Furthermore, his profile page says that he is
"open to work" immediately and is looking for a position as a game director, creative director, or design director.

Neuburger had worked at Tomb Raider's Crystal Dynamics for over 12 years before his time with The Initiative - the same studio that has teamed up with The Initiative to help finish development on the reboot of Perfect Dark.

This isn't the first high-level departure from The Initiative, as the company's former design director Drew Murray announced that he was leaving the company in February 2021 and would be returning to his old studio Insomniac Games.

Perfect Dark was revealed at The Game Awards 2020 and is set to be a first-person shooter with an "eco-sci-fi" that is "aiming to deliver a secret agent thriller set in a near-future world."

The Initiative itself was announced at E3 2018 as Microsoft's first-ever 'AAAA' studio that would be "challenging themselves to do new things (and old things) in new ways."

Perfect Dark, a franchise that began on the N64 in 2000, currently has no release date.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Perfect Dark game director Dan Neuburger has seemingly left The Initiative after working with the company for nearly four years.

As reported by VGC, ResetERA user Klobrille noticed the change on Neuburger's LinkedIn profile that shows February 2022 was his last month at The Initiative. Furthermore, his profile page says that he is
"open to work" immediately and is looking for a position as a game director, creative director, or design director.

Neuburger had worked at Tomb Raider's Crystal Dynamics for over 12 years before his time with The Initiative - the same studio that has teamed up with The Initiative to help finish development on the reboot of Perfect Dark.

This isn't the first high-level departure from The Initiative, as the company's former design director Drew Murray announced that he was leaving the company in February 2021 and would be returning to his old studio Insomniac Games.

Perfect Dark was revealed at The Game Awards 2020 and is set to be a first-person shooter with an "eco-sci-fi" that is "aiming to deliver a secret agent thriller set in a near-future world."

The Initiative itself was announced at E3 2018 as Microsoft's first-ever 'AAAA' studio that would be "challenging themselves to do new things (and old things) in new ways."

Perfect Dark, a franchise that began on the N64 in 2000, currently has no release date.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Former Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aimé has questioned the "current definition" of Facebook's metaverse vision, saying that "Facebook itself is not an innovative company."

Speaking to Bloomberg's Emily Chang during SXSW, Fils-Aimé shared his thoughts on the current state of the so-called metaverse and discussed why he doesn't believe Facebook is currently on the right track to lead the way.

"Facebook itself is not an innovative company,” Fils-Aimé said. “They have either acquired interesting things like Oculus and Instagram, or they’ve been a fast follower of people’s ideas. I don’t think their current definition will be successful.”

Instead, Fils-Aimé thinks this digital future so many are striving towards will be led by "smaller companies that are really innovating" and companies like Epic Games who are doing "really compelling" things.

Fils-Aimé also talked about how he believes that more acquisitions by gaming companies are on the way following Microsoft's "fantastic purchase" of Activision Blizzard and how the games industry still has a long way to go in terms of diversity.

"This is a global industry touching 3 billion people across the world; it’s a $200 billion business,” Fils-Aimé said. “The representation in the game and in leadership is not at all where it needs to be.”

Lastly, he shed some light on his time on the board of GameStop and shared some criticism towards the company's management and plan for the future. Fils-Aime left the board in early 2021.

"There has not been an articulated strategy. Leadership says we don’t want to articulate our strategy because they don’t want it to be stolen,” he said. “To me that was not acceptable.”

For more on Fils-Aimé, who is set to release a book chronicling his career called 'Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo' in May 2022, check out the eight best Reggie Fils-Aimé moments of all time, why the Switch's success made it "easy" for him to retire, and how he had to "politely decline" an offer to work with Kanye West on a game.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Former Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aimé has questioned the "current definition" of Facebook's metaverse vision, saying that "Facebook itself is not an innovative company."

Speaking to Bloomberg's Emily Chang during SXSW, Fils-Aimé shared his thoughts on the current state of the so-called metaverse and discussed why he doesn't believe Facebook is currently on the right track to lead the way.

"Facebook itself is not an innovative company,” Fils-Aimé said. “They have either acquired interesting things like Oculus and Instagram, or they’ve been a fast follower of people’s ideas. I don’t think their current definition will be successful.”

Instead, Fils-Aimé thinks this digital future so many are striving towards will be led by "smaller companies that are really innovating" and companies like Epic Games who are doing "really compelling" things.

Fils-Aimé also talked about how he believes that more acquisitions by gaming companies are on the way following Microsoft's "fantastic purchase" of Activision Blizzard and how the games industry still has a long way to go in terms of diversity.

"This is a global industry touching 3 billion people across the world; it’s a $200 billion business,” Fils-Aimé said. “The representation in the game and in leadership is not at all where it needs to be.”

Lastly, he shed some light on his time on the board of GameStop and shared some criticism towards the company's management and plan for the future. Fils-Aime left the board in early 2021.

"There has not been an articulated strategy. Leadership says we don’t want to articulate our strategy because they don’t want it to be stolen,” he said. “To me that was not acceptable.”

For more on Fils-Aimé, who is set to release a book chronicling his career called 'Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo' in May 2022, check out the eight best Reggie Fils-Aimé moments of all time, why the Switch's success made it "easy" for him to retire, and how he had to "politely decline" an offer to work with Kanye West on a game.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

The second annual Video Game Accessibility Awards have arrived and they have honored the games that have gone above and beyond to push forward the bar of accessibility by making their games available to so many more.

The winners were announced in a livestream hosted by Accessibility Awards co-creators Steven Spohn and Alanah Pearce. IGN alum Alanah Pearce is a writer at Sony Santa Monica and Steven Spohn is a Senior Director at AbleGamers, and the awards show was founded in partnership with AbleGames to highlight these games doing incredible work in the field of accessibility.

The judging panel is made up entirely of disabled gamers and the categories are based on accessibility guidelines that AbleGamers created as tools for game developers.

There were nine categories in total, and Halo Infinite led the way with two victories in Clear Text and Training Grounds. Guardians of the Galaxy, Before Your Eyes, Forza Horizon 5, Far Cry 6, It Takes Two, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, and Life Is Strange: True Colors also took home awards.

The full list of winners and nominees for the 2021 Video Game Accessibility Awards are as follows;

Second Channel - For games that give players a second means or interface to get the information they may need to progress.

• Before Your Eyes - GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games
• Unpacking - Witch Beam, Humble Bundle
• Guardians of the Galaxy - Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix - WINNER

Clear Text - For games that allow players to reliably read text in the game or its interfaces.

• Boyfriend Dungeon - Kitfox Games
• Loop Hero - Four Quarters, Devolver Digital
• Halo Infinite - 343 Industries, Xbox Game Studios - WINNER

Input Reduction - For games that allow players to decrease the amount of input reduction needed to successfully undertake a sequence of actions required by the game.

• Before Your Eyes - GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games - WINNER
• Fights in Tight Spaces - Ground Shatter, Mode 7 Games
• Escape From Tarkov - Battlestate Games

AI Assistance - For games that allow players to progress through challenges with assistance from in-game AI.

• Forza Horizon 5 - Playground Games, Xbox Game Studios - WINNER
• Far Cry 6 - Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft
• Psychonauts 2 - Double Fine, Xbox Game Studios

Improved Precision - For games that allow players to increase or decrease things like movement sensitivity so that they may be precise with their actions in the game or its interfaces.

• Chivalry 2 - Torn Banner Studios, Tripwire Interactive
• Far Cry 6 - Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft - WINNER
• Back 4 Blood - Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Peer Assistance - For games that allow players to progress through challenges presented by the game with assistance from another player.

• It Takes Two - Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts - WINNER
• Age of Empires IV - Relic Entertainment, World's Edge, Xbox Game Studios
• Back 4 Blood - Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Remapping - For games that allow players to remap or reconfigure standard control figurations.

• Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart - Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment
• It Takes Two - Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - Square Enix - WINNER

Training Grounds - For games that give players a place or means to increase their skill level outside on their own time, outside of the usual means of training used by the game.

• Halo Infinite - 343 Industries, Xbox Game Studios - WINNER
• Monster Hunter Rise - Capcom
• Back 4 Blood - Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Ability to Bypass - For games that allow players to bypass or skip sections that they are unable to successfully engage with.

• Life Is Strange: True Colors - Deck Nine, Square Enix - WINNER
• Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart - Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Unpacking - Witch Beam, Humble Bundle

For more in the world of accessibility, check out how Spohn was able to raise over $1 million for AbleGamers and why Forza Horizon 5 was chosen as IGN's noteworthy advancement in accessibility for 2021 winner.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

The second annual Video Game Accessibility Awards have arrived and they have honored the games that have gone above and beyond to push forward the bar of accessibility by making their games available to so many more.

The winners were announced in a livestream hosted by Accessibility Awards co-creators Steven Spohn and Alanah Pearce. IGN alum Alanah Pearce is a writer at Sony Santa Monica and Steven Spohn is a Senior Director at AbleGamers, and the awards show was founded in partnership with AbleGames to highlight these games doing incredible work in the field of accessibility.

The judging panel is made up entirely of disabled gamers and the categories are based on accessibility guidelines that AbleGamers created as tools for game developers.

There were nine categories in total, and Halo Infinite led the way with two victories in Clear Text and Training Grounds. Guardians of the Galaxy, Before Your Eyes, Forza Horizon 5, Far Cry 6, It Takes Two, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, and Life Is Strange: True Colors also took home awards.

The full list of winners and nominees for the 2021 Video Game Accessibility Awards are as follows;

Second Channel - For games that give players a second means or interface to get the information they may need to progress.

• Before Your Eyes - GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games
• Unpacking - Witch Beam, Humble Bundle
• Guardians of the Galaxy - Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix - WINNER

Clear Text - For games that allow players to reliably read text in the game or its interfaces.

• Boyfriend Dungeon - Kitfox Games
• Loop Hero - Four Quarters, Devolver Digital
• Halo Infinite - 343 Industries, Xbox Game Studios - WINNER

Input Reduction - For games that allow players to decrease the amount of input reduction needed to successfully undertake a sequence of actions required by the game.

• Before Your Eyes - GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games - WINNER
• Fights in Tight Spaces - Ground Shatter, Mode 7 Games
• Escape From Tarkov - Battlestate Games

AI Assistance - For games that allow players to progress through challenges with assistance from in-game AI.

• Forza Horizon 5 - Playground Games, Xbox Game Studios - WINNER
• Far Cry 6 - Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft
• Psychonauts 2 - Double Fine, Xbox Game Studios

Improved Precision - For games that allow players to increase or decrease things like movement sensitivity so that they may be precise with their actions in the game or its interfaces.

• Chivalry 2 - Torn Banner Studios, Tripwire Interactive
• Far Cry 6 - Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft - WINNER
• Back 4 Blood - Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Peer Assistance - For games that allow players to progress through challenges presented by the game with assistance from another player.

• It Takes Two - Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts - WINNER
• Age of Empires IV - Relic Entertainment, World's Edge, Xbox Game Studios
• Back 4 Blood - Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Remapping - For games that allow players to remap or reconfigure standard control figurations.

• Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart - Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment
• It Takes Two - Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - Square Enix - WINNER

Training Grounds - For games that give players a place or means to increase their skill level outside on their own time, outside of the usual means of training used by the game.

• Halo Infinite - 343 Industries, Xbox Game Studios - WINNER
• Monster Hunter Rise - Capcom
• Back 4 Blood - Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Ability to Bypass - For games that allow players to bypass or skip sections that they are unable to successfully engage with.

• Life Is Strange: True Colors - Deck Nine, Square Enix - WINNER
• Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart - Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Unpacking - Witch Beam, Humble Bundle

For more in the world of accessibility, check out how Spohn was able to raise over $1 million for AbleGamers and why Forza Horizon 5 was chosen as IGN's noteworthy advancement in accessibility for 2021 winner.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Spider-Man: No Way Home will officially be released digitally on March 15, one week earlier than it was originally planned.

Sony confirmed to IGN that while Peter Parker's multiverse adventure will be available this Tuesday on digital storefronts, the 4K/Blu-ray/DVD release date of April 12 in the US and April 4 in the UK will remain the same.

Movie insider Amit Chaudhury previously revealed that the DVD and Blu-ray release will have over 100 minutes of bonus footage that will include additional scenes of the film's most exciting cameo appearances.

Be sure to check out our full Spider-Man: No Way Home pre-order guide to help ensure you get the exact version you'd like, from the digital to release to any and all of the physical versions.

There is still no word as to when Spider-Man: No Way Home will hit streaming services, but we do know that Starz will be its first home "sometime over the next six months."

In our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, we said that it "bounces from hilarious to hurt with ease as both the darkest and funniest MCU Spider-Man entry to date."

For more, check out our explainer of the ending, Marvel's live-action take on the iconic Spider-Man meme, and watch the film's writers reveal spoilery secrets.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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

Spider-Man: No Way Home will officially be released digitally on March 15, one week earlier than it was originally planned.

Sony confirmed to IGN that while Peter Parker's multiverse adventure will be available this Tuesday on digital storefronts, the 4K/Blu-ray/DVD release date of April 12 in the US and April 4 in the UK will remain the same.

Movie insider Amit Chaudhury previously revealed that the DVD and Blu-ray release will have over 100 minutes of bonus footage that will include additional scenes of the film's most exciting cameo appearances.

Be sure to check out our full Spider-Man: No Way Home pre-order guide to help ensure you get the exact version you'd like, from the digital to release to any and all of the physical versions.

There is still no word as to when Spider-Man: No Way Home will hit streaming services, but we do know that Starz will be its first home "sometime over the next six months."

In our Spider-Man: No Way Home review, we said that it "bounces from hilarious to hurt with ease as both the darkest and funniest MCU Spider-Man entry to date."

For more, check out our explainer of the ending, Marvel's live-action take on the iconic Spider-Man meme, and watch the film's writers reveal spoilery secrets.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

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