Bethesda Allegedly Isn't Providing Abortion Support Microsoft Promised

gamerant.com:

The United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision ensuring legal access to abortion across the country, has prompted myriad responses across the gaming industry. Many game studios and publishers have publicly or privately dedicated themselves to expanding reproductive benefits, including supporting travel needs out of states where abortion is legal. Other companies have remained silent, or in the case of Bethesda created more controversial situations.

Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft in 2021. On paper, it would make sense that Bethesda employees, including Redfall and Starfield developers in Texas with strict abortion restrictions, would be covered by Microsoft's policies. Microsoft has dedicated itself to ensuring employees and their dependents will have access to «critical health care» related to abortion. Bethesda even made a public statement saying «We believe the ability to make choices about one's body and lifestyle is a human right.» Yet a new report claims that Bethesda is not covered by Microsoft's policies and allegedly hasn't promised its employees similar protections.

Bungie Launches Initiative to Help Employees Get Healthcare Elsewhere After Roe v. Wade Overturn

A report from Kotaku states that Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media has maintained its independence with regard to benefit systems. As such, Bethesda is not subject to follow Microsoft's policies. A former ZeniMax employee explained that many people quit after learning of this divide. Bethesda would still be able to dedicate itself to providing the same benefits, of course, but is allegedly so far unwilling to.

In one instance, Bethesda's intra-company Slack is said to have been used by an employee to post an