June is Pride month, and companies all over the world will be recognizing the occasion through various events and special promotions. Xbox is one such company that will be celebrating Pride throughout the month of June, and it's doing so with charity streams, new merchandise, and a game that it is giving away to all Xbox users completely free of charge, no Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass subscription required.
For the entire month of June, those on Xbox and Steam can claim Tell Me Why completely free of charge. Tell Me Why, for the uninitiated, is a narrative-driven adventure game from Life is Strange studio Dontnot Entertainment. It features an episodic structure similar to Life is Strange, and it is notable for being the first major video game release starring a transgender main character. Xbox will also be donating $25,000 to the Transgender Law Center and Trans Lifeline charity organizations and hosting a special Tell Me Why livestream on June 23 to raise even more money for Trans Lifeline. Additionally, Xbox parent company Microsoft plans on donating $1700,000 to OutRight Action International, African Rainbow Family, National Center for Transgender Equality, Mermaids, Lavender Rights Project, and Fulcrum UA as well.
Xbox will be celebrating Pride in its other games as well, with Halo Infinite receiving free cosmetics that include a rainbow nameplate and emblem, while Forza Horizon 4, Forza Horizon 5, and Forza Motorsport 7 will all be receiving a special rainbow livery at some point later this month. There will also be Pride t-shirts available for purchase, and those that buy one will have a chance to win a $25 gift card to buy even more Xbox merch.
On top of all this, Xbox will be releasing a new controller for Pride. Last year, Microsoft revealed an Xbox controller for Pride that was only available to influencers and members of the media, which resulted in quite a bit of backlash. This year, Microsoft is making a new Xbox Pride controller available to purchase through the Xbox Design Lab, and this time around, it will be customizable.
According to Microsoft, Xbox fans can use the Xbox Design Lab to customize their Pride controller with 34 flags representing different facets of the LGBTQIA+ community. They will also be able to add metallic finishes, rubberized grips, and more to tweak the controller to their liking. Anyone interested in purchasing the Xbox Pride controller this time around will be able to do so starting June 9.