When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Team Meat, creator of classic platformer Super Meat Boy, had one thing to say: “The Supreme Court can go fuck itself.”

It’s been a little more than a week since the court handed down its landmark ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, ending the legal right to abortion in the United States. A person’s ability to get the healthcare they need will now be determined by a patchwork of state-by-state laws and policies. Team Meat’s tweet, composed by the company’s social media manager, is the organization’s official stance on the matter. “Everyone at Team Meat stands by this fully,” cofounder Tommy Refenes tells WIRED. “It's the exact right words in the right order. A perfect statement.”

In the wake of the June 24 ruling, the videogame industry has been uncharacteristically vocal in its support for anyone seeking abortions. Companies such as Microsoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Bungie all say they’re offering travel expense benefits for employees whose states limit access to gender affirming care or abortion services. “Bungie’s position is that overturning Roe v. Wade represents a devastating rollback to human rights and an attack on freedom for all Americans,” Bungie spokesperson Xandre Chateaubriand says. “We will continue to stand up for the fundamental rights of all people and we will continue doing our best to do right by our employees and our community in every step of that effort.” Dozens of companies have released public statements supporting reproductive freedom.

Those located in states with trigger laws—bans that restrict abortion to the point of eliminating them entirely and enforce criminal penalties to anyone seeking them or, in some cases, even discussing how to get them—face a more difficult path to protect employees. Texas is home to prominent studios such as Arkane Studios Austin, Bethesda Game Studios Austin, Devolver Digital, Gearbox Software, Id Software, and Zynga. It also has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, having banned abortion after six weeks in 2021.

The public response from many of these Texas companies has been milquetoast. Bethesda issued a statement on Twitter that it “believes the ability to make choices about one’s body and lifestyle is a human right.” Devolver Digital simply tweeted, “Reproductive rights are human rights.” Others, like Gearbox, haven’t released statements at all.

But developers at Texas studios say that the reticence to speak publicly about Dobbs or assistance for employees seeking abortions isn’t for a lack of support, but a fear of putting a target on their backs. “We’re doing everything we can to help and be resources for each other,” a developer at a Texas game studio with direct knowledge of the company’s policy tells WIRED. “Protecting our team is the primary concern, especially with such uncertainty around possible legislation in Texas and elsewhere.” Gamemakers in states with support for abortion can be vocal in their support without the same fear of legal repercussions.

Even so, frustrations are mounting among employees who want their companies to speak up. A recent report from Kotaku highlighted grievances from employees of ZeniMax Media subsidiaries Bethesda and Arkane, who call the company’s lack of response “deafening.”

A source at another major Texas-based studio, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, tells WIRED that there is “a lot of frustration internally with comms and executives about the lack of public statements, particularly with a lot of California and Seattle studios being very loud and clear.” Although the company has been willing to speak internally to employees about their concerns, the source continues, it’s “extremely wary of litigation from the Texas government and is saying as little as possible. The offline chatter is that they’re focusing on materially protecting current employees over making public statements.”

For Texas, the laws around abortion are murky in regards to who might be punished and how. Private citizens have the power to sue anyone who “aids and abets” an abortion. Uncertainty has even shut down efforts like abortion funds, as organizers fear legal punishment. It’s difficult to see that even well-positioned, well-funded companies are afraid of government officials’ power, the source continued. “For every Gearbox or Arkane or Id, there are dozens of indie or freelance dev teams that have few to none of the same resources,” they say.

Some developers are opting to help employees leave impacted states entirely. In May, after the opinion that would eventually overturn Roe v. Wade leaked, Certain Affinity founder and CEO Max Hoberman told employees that the company would help relocate them to a safer state or province where the company operates. Its headquarters are located in Texas. “These are tricky areas to navigate, as state governments may at some point decide that, by supporting vulnerable employees in their time of need, we fall on the wrong side of the law,” Hoberman said in his statement to employees. “As appalling and distressing as this is, it’s a reality and a risk that we must carefully navigate.”

The source at the major Texas-based studio says that although any mention of Roe v. Wade has been left out of official communications, the company has been open about relocation options. But leaving Texas or any other impacted state is an imperfect solution at best, another example of the class divide that already plagues abortion. “‘Just leave for a safe state’ is inherently a privileged stance that only solves the problem for a fraction of the affected,” they say.

As government officials seek to expand antiabortion laws, leaving may cease to be an option altogether. There are only so many safe havens to flee to, especially when access to healthcare is tied to a job.