Frisco game development studio Gearbox says it’ll invest elsewhere if Texas passes anti-LGBTQ laws

Frisco video game developer Gearbox Software says it will “create new growth and new opportunities in places outside of Texas” if bills discriminating against transgender Texans become law. The Texas legislature has introduced more than 20 anti-LGBTQ bills this session — more than any other state, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy and lobbying group in the U.S. All but a handful of the bills are essentially dead as lawmakers near the deadline to enact remaining legislation. A number of the proposed bills would target gender affirming care for children, and would impact the families of transgender kids in Texas.

SB29, which would ban children in K-12 schools from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity, still has potential to become law in Texas. The session ends May 31. For Gearbox head Randy Pitchford, the company’s protest against the bills is partially a matter of “business practicality.” “There’s so much incredible talent in our industry that we won’t have access to — that will choose not to work for a company based in Texas — with these kinds of laws happening,” Pitchford said. The company is one of three dozen that signed a letter pressing lawmakers to drop the bills, but it’s the only one threatening to invest outside Texas if legislation passes. The letter, published by Texas Competes in late April, was signed by companies operating in the state, including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, American Airlines, Facebook and others. “If these laws pass, it will absolutely change how we look at our growth in the future,” Pitchford said. “Meanwhile, if the bad laws pass, we’ll rally behind our talent and we’ll support them. If anyone needs to relocate, we’ll support that.”