Supporting the LGBTQIA+ community globally
Sony Interactive team members unite globally to celebrate Pride in all parts of the world
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At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we take pride in celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of our global team members. We aim to be the best place to work and play with a corporate culture that ensures everyone feels valued, heard, and supported.
Throughout the past year, our global teams have celebrated the LGBTQIA+ community in various ways and forms from parade participation to local initiatives. Take a look as we celebrate some of the colorful ways we’ve celebrated globally.
PlayStation Studios Initiatives
Bend Studio
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Bend Studio, who just celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the studio in beautiful Central Oregon, continues to reach out to their communities online and around their local town. Bend formed an internal ‘Studio Outreach Program’ a few years ago based on a simple slogan, “We can be more than game developers.” This has sparked a cultural shift and support from the team that brings its developers to teach at schools, support community events, and partner with organizations that share their same values.
This year for Pride, Bend Studio kicked off the month by joining their local LGBTQIA+ community and participating in the Bend 5K, wearing their proudest Pride gear with a group from the team. Bend Studio also celebrated the month by bringing the festivities to the office with decorations placed in the streaming room and in the lobby where Deacon St. John stands with his bike. Additionally, virtual games bringing awareness to Pride were enjoyed by the entire team with some delicious Pride-themed snacks that were handed out in the studio.
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Haven
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To help celebrate and recognize Pride Month and Haven’s ongoing commitment and support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, the studio organized two learning sessions focused on Allyship and Cultivating 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusive Spaces for their team as part of the work to help the team live their studio values of Kindness, Adaptability, Fearless Optimism and Excellence each day.
In June, Haven partnered with The 519, an organization committed to education and support for 2 Spirit, queer, trans and non-binary communities for a session called Blooming Workplaces: Cultivating 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusive Spaces. Next up in August, they will host a second session in partnership with Fondation Emergence for their Francophone team members. Also in August, Haven will join the industry and game development studios across Quebec to come together and march in Festival Fierté Montréal Pride 2024 to help ensure safety, equity, and inclusion for 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Insomniac Games
Aside from organizing participation at the WeHo Pride parade in Los Angeles, several Insomniac Games developers participated in internal Pride-themed panels. Jen Carlin (Advanced Lighting Artist) and Sam Jordan (Designer) represented Insomniac at the Queer Game Dev Panel, while Sam Schaffel (Accessibility Design Researcher) joined the Accessibility + Pride Panel.
Media Molecule
As part of their contribution to Pride month, Media Molecule is raffling tickets within the studio for the Surrey Pride event Pride in Surrey – Celebrating Surrey’s LGBTQ Community with all proceeds being donated directly to Pride in Surrey.
Naughty Dog
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Within the studio, Naughty Dog celebrated Pride month with a themed bake day, a book and game discussion, special themed crafts, and movie nights. Additionally, employees created pride art and discussed weekly topics together.
Neon Koi
This year Neon Koi hosted a Pride Picnic both in Helsinki & Berlin. The picnic was open to everyone, and team members were able to bring along a +1. They also highlighted other local pride events to their teams, including a Queer Game Jam that was hosted on the last weekend of June.
Santa Monica Studio
In celebration of Pride Month, Santa Monica Studio featured two LGBTQ+ owned small businesses each week in June – in their “Pride Month Small Business Spotlight” email blast to team members. By highlight these businesses, owners, and brands, the studio hopes to inspire team members to follow and support them all year long. At the end of June, the studio also raffled off gift cards for (or products from) some of these establishments to increase awareness for small businesses.
Bungie Initiatives
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This year for Pride Month, Pride@Bungie and Trans@Bungie, two of Bungie’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Associations (IDEAs) continued their support of It Gets Better, a nonprofit that strives to uplift, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe. Since 2019, through the purchase of Bungie’s Pride Collectible Pin 2.0 and donations for the Infinite Prismatic in-game emblem, the Bungie community has raised an incredible $660,746 for It Gets Better. The studio also participated in Seattle’s Pride Parade, championing the importance of acceptance and representation.
Global Events
Global offices, supported by our Pride@PlayStation employee network supported various events including local Pride parades across our global offices. Here’s a recap of events within the last few months.
Tokyo
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Sony Interactive Entertainment in Japan has been sponsoring the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride event every year since 2018, as a part of its focus on creating a sense of belonging and raise awareness for the Pride community in Japan, ensuring everyone feels valued, heard, and supported. This year, as a part of Sony Group, we had a digital photo booth at our booth and employee volunteers participated in the parade.
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Los Angeles
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The Los Angeles area Sony Interactive and PlayStation Studios team members celebrated our first appearance in the West Hollywood (WeHo) Pride Parade on June 2 for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies!
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Sony Interactive team members joined Sony Pictures in this year’s LA Pride Parade on June 9, marching to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community in exclusive Columbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary and Sony Pride t-shirts.
London
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PlayStation UK was an official partner of Pride in London for the sixth year. A group of 80 employees and guests marched in the parade held on June 29, 2024 through Central London!
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Internally Sony Interactive Entertainment employees, led by the Pride@PlayStation eNet committee, held the now annual Pride Party at the London office on June 27. Attended by colleagues from across the London offices, the party featured Drag Queen Music Bingo and music from a live DJ. Attendees could take part in games, try their luck with a goody-filled claw machine and win from a wide range of prizes.
Liverpool
The team at the Liverpool offices will also take part in the Liverpool Pride march on July 27, led by a local Pride@PlayStation committee member.
San Francisco
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For the third year, Sony Interactive employees participated in the 54th annual San Francisco parade held on June 30 under the Beacon of Love theme. Joined by sister company Crunchyroll, attendees looked stylish in PlayStation-branded Pride themed reversible bucket hats and snapping fans while the rider-filled PlayStation float rolled down Market Street in celebration and support for the city of San Francisco’s fight for LGBTQIA+ rights.
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Beyond participating in the pride parade, San Francisco and San Mateo employees led by our Pride @PlayStation eNet met for a Pride-themed party on the San Mateo campus in June and also helped support a clothing drive for Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco.
San Diego
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For over a decade, San Diego team members have been participating in the San Diego Pride Parade and this year’s parade held on July 20 was no exception. The march, arranged by Pride@PlayStation and Equality ALLiance(Sony Electronics’ employee resource group), was joined by over 200 LGBTQIA+ members and allies. The participants supported the march by donning Pride-themed reversible bucket hats, Sony and Pride@PlayStation t-shirts, temporary PlayStation shapes tattoos and snap fans while also celebrating love, acceptance, and diversity & inclusion with parade route viewers through free Pride-themed PlayStation and Sony swag.
![](https://sonyinteractive.com/tachyon/2024/07/PrideSD-02-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024)
Australia
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The team members in Australia have continued their ongoing support of local LGBTQIA+ community gaming group, The Sydney Gaymers (TSG) and collaborated on a series of social gaming nights called Glitch. These nights encouraged the community to explore more of the playable titles across the PlayStation platform in an inclusive space.
To celebrate this year’s Mardi Gras, Sony Interactive Australia supported TSG with their Mardi Gras Float Submission. With a theme of Pride in Play, the local team helped with cosplayer attendance and costuming as the group of 80 float members danced their way through the parade.