For the third year in a row,Tell Me Why, a narrative adventure game featuring trans protagonist Tyler Ronin, will be available free for Xbox and PC gamers the entire month of June. As Pride Month begins, studios are celebrating LGBTQ+ gamers and game developers in a variety of ways.Overwatch 2has started an in-game event which adds a Pride parade to one of its maps andDisney Dreamlight Valleyis offering in-game Pride t-shirts to its players. In this case an entire episodic narrative-driven adventure game inTell Me Whyis available for gamers to pick up for free.From Don’t Nod, the studio behind the celebratedLife is Strangefranchise,Tell Me Whywas created in partnership with Xbox Game Studios Publishing as an Xbox ecosystem exclusive. Similar to the heavy themes that characterize Don’t Nod’sLife is Strangegames,Tell Me Whyhas players navigate the rocky relationship between Tyler and his sister Alyson as they both telepathically process childhood trauma in a snowy Alaskan fishing town. While it released in 2020 to mixed reception,Tell Me Whymarked an important momentas it featured a trans lead character in Tyler Ronin, portrayed by trans voice actor August Aiden Black. During development Don’t Nod worked closely with GLAAD to ensure a respectful telling of Tyler’s story.Tell Me Whylater went on to win the Games For Impact award at The Game Awards 2020.RELATED:Overwatch 2 Reveals New Cosmetics, Map Changes for Pride Month EventOn Twitter,Tell Me Whyannounced that the award-winning episodic adventure game will be available for free on Xbox and PC for the entire month of Junein honor of Pride Month. This is the third year in a row following its September 2020 release thatTell Me Whyis being made available all June in celebration of Pride. With this, the game seems to have become somewhat of a beacon of LGBTQ+ Pride in the Xbox world.
The tweet adds that gamers who are looking to further support the LGBTQ+ community should consider donating money to trans creators as well as local charities. Additionally,Tell Me Whyprovided links to the game on Xbox and Steam underneath the original tweet. While it’s unlikely thatTyler and Alyson’s storywill see continuation in the form of a sequel, it’s possible that Don’t Nod could use theTell Me Whyname to tell new stories highlighting LGBTQ+ characters, similar to howLife is Strange 2andTrue Colorsfeature entirely new settings and sets of characters from the original game.
However, with Don’t Nod’s ownHarmony: The Fall of Reverieand thelarger-scaleBanishers: Ghosts of New Edenboth slated to come out this year, it may be a while longer before any potentialLife is StrangeorTell Me Whynews pops up. In the meantime, fans of Don’t Nod’s adventure games can pick upTell Me Whyfor free all June in celebration of Pride.
Tell Me Whyis available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
