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Tell Me Why is free to own throughout Pride Month
Dontnod’s episodic adventure stars a transgender protagonist
Dontnod Entertainment is celebrating Pride Month by making Tell Me Why free on all platforms.
The studio behind Life is Strange released the game on Xbox and PC last year, and received general praise for its handling of LGBTQ+ topics.
Throughout the entirety of Pride Month (June 1 to June 30), Tell Me Why is free on the Xbox, Windows 10 and Steam stores. Players who claim it during this period will have permanent access to the game even when Pride Month is over.
The game stars Tyler and Alyson, a pair of twins to return to their childhood home following a traumatic event which led to the death of their mother.
Tyler is also a trans man, so as well as coming to terms with his own family tragedy, he also has to deal with how his hometown reacts to who he is.
“Since Tell Me Why’s release late last summer, the team at Dontnot and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have been humbled by and deeply grateful for the many gamers – especially trans and queer gamers – who have found understanding and hope in our game”, a message on the game’s website states.
“We’ve received heartfelt messages from players all over the world about how Tyler’s homecoming as a trans man and Alyson’s struggle with trauma have impacted them, encouraged them, or made them feel a little less alone, especially amid the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and pervasive transphobic rhetoric in places like the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Our intention in making Tell Me Why free for June 2021 is both to allow even more people to access the game and to encourage our players to spend their money in places that will directly affect trans and queer communities.”
Dontnod consulted various experts during the making of the game, including the non-governmental organisation GLAAD, to make sure the game handled its portrayal of LGBT characters was accurate and respectful. It also cast Aiden Black, a trans voice actor, in the role of Tyler.
The game’s official site now contains a list of places where players can donate money to support trans and queer communities instead of spending it on the game.
