— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) June 4, 2020 From 2 PM to 4 PM ET, the online components of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 will be taken offline on all platforms. Over the past few weeks, we have seen the Black Lives Matter movement gain a lot of momentum, and rightfully so. Brands from all over the world have gathered to show support and fight towards the end of discrimination towards black people. Game developers, too, have shown their support by delaying events, making donations, and simply by speaking out against racial injustice. Unlike other studios like Square Enix and Ubisoft who each donated $250k and $100k, respectively, towards the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, Rockstar Games is yet to announce any sort of financial donation. Instead, the company hopes that the pausing of Red Dead Online and GTA Online will raise awareness about the movement. No doubt, there will be players upset about the shut down, but the core message of the move is absolutely necessary. Other game developers and publishers are postponing events to make sure that one of the most important movements of our time gets the attention it deserves. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has pushed back the launch of its Season 4, and Epic Games is also delaying the release of Fornite Season 3. Earlier this week, Sony also announced a delay to the highly anticipated PS5 game reveal event scheduled for this month, saying that “we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration”. As the movement gains more attention, organizations all across the globe continue to show their support in the form of donations and tweets.
