Joining together to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in the US and abroad are Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox, who have made a rare show of uniting online on the issue of long overdue racial justice. Although the outward rivalry has relatively cooled between the two major console manufacturers in recent years, this type of joint messaging is largely unprecedented for the corporate competitors.
Normally, the Xbox's and PlayStation's social media teams are more than content to pretend that the other doesn't even exist when maintaining their respective company's public image. However, it became clear that not even the gaming industry could ignore the centuries of American black oppression as tensions boiled over into large clashes between largely peaceful protesters and overly confrontational police this week, prompting Sony to delay its PlayStation 5 reveal event from June 4 to an undisclosed later date. Depending on the protests' course and duration, Microsoft may also ultimately push back some of its own Xbox Series X announcements to avoid stealing any of the BLM movement's spotlight and looking insensitive to players.
Along with many other developers and publishers speaking out, Sony made its stance against "systemic racism and violence against the Black community" and for "a future marked by empathy and inclusion" clear in a PlayStation tweet on Monday, afterward going silent on Blackout Tuesday through the time of writing. The Xbox Twitter account then surprised fans of either console by quote retweeting its primary competitor's statement, stating simply, "We stand together." While far less eloquent than the PlayStation comment, Xbox had already made its own statement and vowed to amplify "Black and African American voices" earlier in the day.
With even children's TV shows like Sesame Street and entire networks like Nickelodeon extending the reach of the protesters' message well beyond the streets, it's little surprise to see entities as large as Sony and Microsoft quickly hopping onto what amounts to a good hashtag for building brand loyalty and calming investors' nerves. What couldn't have been foreseen is that the Xbox team would willfully signal boost a statement from their rival and greatest barrier to more widespread success. Whether either company's intentions are well-meaning or cynically opportunistic, it matters little so long as they're committed to remaining consistent on protecting human rights.
As fires spark and rage and untold numbers of peaceful protesters continue to gather across the nation (as well as in pockets around the globe), two of the biggest names in gaming say they're not only committed to the racial and socioeconomic causes driving the BLM movement, but that they're committed to that common goal together. Xbox's and PlayStation's willingness thus far to step aside and let marginalized voices be heard is admirable, though time will only tell if either corporation goes beyond the relative ease of hashtags to back their alleged support with the considerable wealth and influence they wield.
Source: PlayStation, Xbox,