September is national suicide prevention month. This campaign aims to educate the general public about warning signs and behaviors that could lead to suicide and encourage them to seek mental health treatment. As a result, this month, the developers behind the popular video game franchise Gears Of War, The Coalition, announced that they would pledge 1% net revenue from all Gears Of War games and merchandise to assist suicide prevention in a multi-year commitment. Gears of War’s theme has always been about a strong bond and belonging to something greater, and those bonds are built when we process difficult things together. Themes of loss, grief, trauma and even suicide have been featured in GOW. You can read the official statement below from studio head Mike Crump.
Soaring rates of suicide and mental health disorders have created one of our gravest current public health crises — it’s been said that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we were facing “an epidemic of loneliness.” Gears of War has always stood for belonging, which is why on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day, our message and promise is simple: Never Fight Alone.
Today, we are proud to announce that The Coalition will donate 1% of net revenue from all Gears of War games and merchandise to organizations working to prevent suicide and combat loneliness through mental health advocacy. This is a multi-year commitment our studio is making to give back to our community and create real-world impact. We are proud to announce Crisis Text Line as our first partner. As we continue to grow and evolve this program, we hope to be able to partner with more organizations around the world.
You can show your support by heading to the Xbox gear shop and picking up the Never Fight Alone t-shirt designed by Artist/Illustrator Luke Preece. There is also a free t-shirt you can download for your Xbox avatar on the Xbox avatar marketplace. As a class act, The Coalition has done an amazing job of bringing awareness to suicide and acknowledgment to those who are affected by it, and I hope that it will inspire other studios to do the same. Whatever level of gearhead you are or whether you’re just getting started, let’s come together to put an end to a real battle that needs to be fought and support a great cause, and show that we represent a community truly committed to the phrase “Brothers to the end.”
A crisis counselor is available all day, every day, to offer you support if you feel alone, in need of help, or need to speak with someone. You can text “PAUSE” to 741741 to speak to one.
