Rockstar to shut down GTA Online, Red Dead Online during George Floyd memorial
The games will be unavailable from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT on Thursday.
Rockstar Games is temporarily shutting down Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online on Thursday, to "honor the legacy of George Floyd," the developer said in a tweet. You won't be able to play either game from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT (2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET/7 p.m. to 9 p.m. GMT/4 a.m. to 6 a.m. AEST).
NBA 2K will see similar downtime.
The downtime coincides with the memorial service for Floyd, which will take place in Minneapolis. Floyd's death on May 25 sparked nationwide protests. According to a video posted to Facebook, other footage, and prosecutors, a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd, handcuffed and on the ground, said repeatedly "I can't breathe." Floyd, who was 46, was taken away in an ambulance and later pronounced dead.
Authorities on Friday charged the officer, Derek Chauvin, with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Since then, a new charge of second-degree murder has been added. The three other officers who were involved in the arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four have been fired.