Xbox Celebrates Pride Month With Exclusive Controller
An exclusive Xbox controller has been designed by Microsoft for distribution to streamers and other industry figures in honor of Pride Month 2021. The celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is held every summer in commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, and people - and corporations - around the globe now commemorate each June as Pride Month.
Various institutions around the world use the month of June as an opportunity to show their support for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community. In a show of support for Pride Month, Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive recently announced a month-long Pride Month event lineup. These plans include in-game content, such as rainbow flag trinkets and Pride emotes, as well as more tangible events, like a livestream meant to benefit LGBTQ+ charities.
Microsoft's Pride 2021 Xbox Wireless Controller, revealed via Xbox Wire, serves as a way to give visibility to the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month. The colorful controller combines the flags of various LGBTQ+ communities in a stylish shell finish. On the back of the controller, a message reads, "Show your Pride on every side." According to the blog post, the controller will be sent to "key influencers and media" of the gaming industry throughout the world, and the controller design has also inspired a custom skin for the Microsoft Surface, available for purchase.
In addition to the controller, Xbox has also found other ways to celebrate. Tell Me Why, a narrative adventure game from Life is Strange developer Dontnod Entertainment, has been made free on Xbox and PC all June. The dramatic adventure, published by Xbox Game Studios and released episodically throughout 2020, is notable for its authentic portrayal of trans protagonist Tyler Ronan.
Pride Month is a massive event, with numerous people, communities, and companies doing their part to raise awareness and celebrate diversity throughout June. Distributing the appealing Pride 2021 Xbox Wireless Controllers to influencers and media could prompt these figures to allow to showcase diversity as they play, but there are also many non-famous Xbox players who would likely love a chance to score their own colorful gamepads down the line. Perhaps Microsoft will one day make the Pride controller available to the public for purchase. In the meantime, the Xbox Gear Shop is selling many pieces of merch emblazoned with the same flag-inspired design.
Source: Xbox Wire