Report: Blizzard chief slams U.S. travel ban, pledges support for affected staff

In the wake of the White House's executive order temporarily ban on U.S. ingress from seven countries, Polygon reports that Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime issued an internal memo condemning the ban and pledging support for affected staff.

Many game developers and studios have already publicly condemned the ban, but Morhaime's (not at all public) company-wide email to staff is especially interesting because it both decries the executive order and pledges support (via Blizzard's legal and human resources teams) for any employees impacted by it.

"The executive order issued on Friday directly affected a small number of our employees and their families, and supporting them is a priority for us. Our HR and Legal teams are in touch with those impacted and providing travel guidance as well as legal assistance and further counseling as needed," reads an email reportedly sent by Morhaime to Blizzard staff yesterday, and provided to Polygon by an anonymous source. 

"The executive order strikes an incredibly sharp contrast with the values on which our company was founded. We are, and will always be, a company that strives for inclusion, embraces diversity, and treats one another with respect. This is the very foundation of what makes not just our company — but America — great, which is why I am so troubled by these actions."

Video game attorney (and occasional Gamasutra blogger) Mona Ibrahim recently posted a great blog post running down what the White House's order means, exactly, for game devs -- and what you can (and can't) do to help support employees affected by the ban.