Microsoft to Release Xbox Pride Controller on June 9, Donating $170,000 to LGBTQIA Nonprofits - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 June 2022 / 1,294 Views
Microsoft and the Xbox Design Lab announced it will be releasing a special customizable Xbox Pride controller on June 9 in celebration of Pride Month.
"This year’s Pride top case design brings together 34 community flags in a fine, interwoven manner to celebrate the nuance, complexity, intersectionality, and strength of the many LGBTQIA+ communities," reads the Xbox Wire post. "You can customize all other parts of the controller with a broad color palette, metallic finishes, rubberized grips, and even add engraving to make your Pride controller unique to you.
"But this isn’t just a controller. It’s a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ communities that inspired it, and a call to continue efforts toward inclusion and representation across all gaming spaces. So, we’re bringing together dozens of voices of LGBTQIA+ gamers, developers, content creators and Microsoft employees within an immersive storytelling experience.
"We hope that by interacting with this experience, people will see why LGBTQIA+ representation and visibility matters, how it has already impacted the lives of so many, and how much we can all do to make gaming a matter of Pride."
Microsoft and Xbox will also be donating $170,000 to multiple LGBQTIA+ organizations. This includes OutRight Action International, African Rainbow Family, National Center for Transgender Equality, Mermaids, Lavender Rights Project and Fulcrum UA. This is to "help in the fight for LGBTQIA+ equity and equality."
Microsoft Rewards members in the US and UK will be able to earn and donate their Microsoft Points to organizations supporting LGBTQIA+ communities.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
