‘NBA 2K20,’ ‘GTA Online,’ & ‘Red Dead Redemption Online’ Press Pause For George Floyd
In a show of solidarity and respect, the video game world is pressing pause on online gaming for .
As the WORLD is still protesting against police brutality and racial injustice, the video game community is letting the world know it cares about the issues plaguing the Black community. Today as the nation finally mourns the death of George Floyd, Rockstar Games, 2K Games, and their parent company Take-Two Interactive announced on Thursday (Jun.4) that servers for the Grand Theft Auto Online, Red Dead Online, and NBA 2K20 will shutdown from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. That also is the same time George Floyd’s will be taking place in Minneapolis.
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, Rockstar Games “Black Lives Matter. To honor the legacy of George Floyd, today, 6/4/20, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. ET, we will be shutting down access to our online games, Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online.”
In a follow-up tweet, the video game studio added:
“We hope you will join us in further honoring the many victims of America’s racial injustices by supporting their families, black-owned businesses, those marching on the streets, and coalitions.”
Rockstar also shared a link to Charity Navigator, a nonprofit that shares a vetted list of civil rights-focused charities.
NBA 2K20 also announced its servers would be down from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. in honor of George Floyd. Gamers shared the news with screenshots on Twitter and also revealed that the game will be giving away free Black Lives Matter and George Floyd t-shirts in the game. 2K also announced it would be increasing its funding to its 2K Foundations by $1 million “and expand its mission to help fight racial injustice and inequalities in Black communities across the globe.”
2K also announced it would be increasing its funding to its 2K Foundations by $1 million “and expand its mission to help fight racial injustice and inequalities in Black communities across the globe.”
Fortnite also announced today it would be delaying its end-of-season event due to the George Floyd protests. In a blog post, Epic Games made the announcement.
“We’re acutely aware of the pain our friends, families, team members, players and communities are experiencing. We believe in equality and justice, diversity and inclusion, and that these fundamentals are above politics.”
“The team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.”
These video game companies join , PlayStation, and EA Sports, who have all and decided that there are much bigger issues going on in the world so their events and updates can wait.
We salute you all.
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Photo: 2K / NBA2k20
