Microsoft and GLAAD partner to improve LGBTQ+ representation in Xbox games
June is Pride month, and Microsoft says it'll be making an active effort to increase queer representation in video games. The console maker announced a "long-term partnership" with GLAAD that involves growing the number of queer characters in future first-party Xbox titles.
What this means: Xbox Games Studios Publishing will be collaborating with the queer media advocacy organization and "amplifying existing resources through workshops and consulting to bring genuine, heartfelt, and aspirational LGBTQIA+ representation."
Though video games have been gradually grown the sheer number of queer characters over the years, especially in triple-A games, this marks a significant step up. Unlike its competitor PlayStation, which has The Last of Us and the Horizon series, Xbox doesn't have a flagship franchise headlined by queer characters.
On GLAAD's website, it appears the only game developer it's partnered with is League of Legends creator Riot Games. Microsoft currently stands as the only console maker to partner with the organization. It previously worked with GLAAD on DontNod's 2020 game, Tell Me Why, which was the first triple-A game to feature a trans lead.
Xbox's marketing chief Pav Bhardwaj said allying with GLAAD would "bring more LGBTQIA+ stories, characters and lived experiences to Xbox in ways that will resonate with gamers around the world."
This partnership also includes Xbox's partner studios and "other developers in our community," which underlines the developer's commitment to queer audiences.
Bhardwaj notes in the Xbox Wire newsletter that Microsoft "recognize(s) the need and demand for more diverse stories, especially as many places become more hostile to transgender, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ communities."
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