Xbox celebrates Pride Month with new partnerships, game collections, and more
As 2023’s Pride Month begins, Xbox highlights its efforts to create an inclusive gaming community.
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What you need to know
June is here, and that means a month in which the extensive, global LGBTQIA+ community openly celebrates our collective pride in our endlessly diverse, unique identities. Many companies and organizations also choose to participate in Pride Month in their own ways, and Xbox is no exception. Every year, Xbox makes a point of celebrating Pride Month, and the company has revealed its plans for 2023.
Published onXbox Wire, Xbox’s Pride Month 2023 celebrations are detailed by Pav Bhardwaj, the Chief of Staff at Xbox Marketing and an openly gay man of Indian descent. Bhardwaj begins with a personal tale of his time at Xbox, starting with the launch of the Xbox 360, and continues to stress the importance of cultivating safe, inclusive spaces for gamers of all identities, including the LGBTQIA+ community. Here’s a rundown of some of the ways Xbox is celebrating Pride Month this year.
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Many corporations elect not to participate in Pride Month each year, and a lot of the companies that do only do so superficially with a temporary theme change and brief (often vague) message of support. It’s good to see Xbox release an in-depth overview of all the ways the company supports the LGBTQIA+ community during and outside of Pride Month (as pride never ends just because Pride Month does).
I hope that the company’s partnership with GLAAD does lead to better LGBTQIA+ representation in Xbox games, and I’m happy to see the company already begin highlighting the fantastic LGBTQIA+ games already on Xbox with new permanent collections. I have Xbox to thank for helping me find my truest self and for giving me a place to express my identity as a non-binary individual. I hope to see Xbox continue to use its resources and influence to improve inclusivity, diversity, and player representation in video games, rather than the basic show of support that other companies offer.
With so many people actively attempting to hurt or take way the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities, especially transgender and non-binary members, we need the safe spaces that video games and their inclusive communities can provide to us more than ever.
Xbox Pride Month 2023
Celebrate Pride Month with Xbox with one of the featured games highlighting LGBTQIA+ voices and creators, the Xbox Design Lab Pride controller, or official Xbox Pride merch.
LGBTQIA+ Games at Xbox>Transgender and Non-Binary Games at Xbox>Pride Collection at Xbox Gear Shop>Pride Controller at Xbox Design Lab>Download Tell Me Why for free at Xbox
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
