Los Angeles-based game developers are reacting to multiple severe wildfires that overwhelmed LA County firefighters on Tuesday, January 7 and spread across thousands of acres in the most populous county in the United States, including the Pacific Palisades neighborhood near Santa Monica where Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, and other studios have offices.
"Employee safety and well-being is our top priority," an Activision spokesperson told PC Gamer the day after the fires started. "We're actively monitoring the situation as it is quickly evolving. We've been in contact with the employees closest to the impacted areas to confirm their safety and provide resources."
"Nothing can be said to truly acknowledge the pain and suffering that we are witnessing unfold in the communities so many of us call home," Riot Games CEO Dylan Jadeja said in a post on LinkedIn a day later.
"It's too early for anyone to know exactly what will be needed or what can be done in the aftermath of this," Jadeja wrote later in the post. "The reality is… we are still in the middle of it. But when the time is right, Riot will be ready to stand up for Los Angeles and give back in every way we can to all of these communities that mean so much to who we are."
Necrosoft Games is currently putting together a California Fire Relief Bundle on itch.io: "We are organizing this bundle to support those affected by the fire with direct financial assistance, and grants to rebuild community in the future," the studio says. Game submissions are open until January 19.
Along with the 23,000+ acre Palisades Fire, the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley spread across more than 700 acres, and the Eaton Fire encompasses another 14,000+ acres to the east of Burbank, where Insomniac Games is based.
"Sitting at my office desk in Burbank, which is right next to a balcony, and the wind outside sounds like when you're near the ocean and hear waves crashing against the beach," said Insomniac Games senior writer Nick Folkman in a Bluesky post the day the first fires began.
Other smaller fires, such as the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills, also led to evacuations. Nearly 100,000 LA residents remain under evacuation orders.
The LA Times reports that at least 25 people have been killed by the Palisades and Eaton fires, and Cal Fire estimates that over 12,000 buildings have been destroyed. The fires have spread rapidly and erratically due to wind speeds as high as 100 mph, and the threat remains severe this week with gusts of up to 70 mph predicted through Wednesday.
Up-to-date maps of the fires and evacuation orders can be found on the Cal Fire website and non-profit website Watch Duty.
