In the wake of the Jacksonville shooting, EA, the developer of the Madden series, has made plans to pledge a million dollars to those who have been affected by the tragedy. This is part of the company’s commitment to what has been dubbed the EA Jacksonville Tribute Initiative. This will encompass the pledged funds above, a livestream next month to showcase the community, and include a fund that anyone can donate to in order to show their support for the victims.
It’s only been a short time since the Jacksonville incident for those who survived, and for the family and friends of those who didn’t. The Jacksonville Tribute aims to assist not only the families of victims but also all those who were affected by the shooting; it has pledged an astonishing $1 million to those parties. The tweet from EA specifically names the families of Taylor Robertson and Elijah Clayton as beneficiaries of this fund.
— Electronic Arts (@EA) August 30, 2018
The tweet above from the official Electronic Arts account (@EA) also makes mention of the importance of the community sticking together. Part of the developer’s contribution to the Jacksonville Initiative is the organization of a livestream that appears to be intended as a tribute to those affected by the shooting. It looks like EA isn’t just handling this internally; the tweet suggests that they’re involving the Madden community to some extent in all this, which is heartening to see.
From what we know of the livestream that’s being organized, it’s going to take place on 6 September. As to what will be broadcast at the livestream, that hasn’t been confirmed yet. The Jacksonville event has sparked a lot of discussion both inside and outside the esports industry. This engagement from EA has come at a time when the community is still recovering from the aftermath aofthe shooting. Only time will tell whether it prompts the necessary engagement that the company is looking for.
