The intention in making Tell Me Why free for June 2021 is to allow more people to access the game and to encourage players to spend their money in places that will directly affect trans and queer communities.
Dotnod is celebrating “Pride Month” by giving away the acclaimed supernatural thriller Tell Me Why for free on all platforms.
The narrative adventure game is available on PC and Xbox One.
Downloading the game from June 1 through June 30, 2021, will give players access to the title on their platform even after Pride Month.
To the uninitiated, Tell Me Why follows the story of the twins Tyler and Alyson, who reunited to sell their childhood home only to be forced to face their traumatic past.
Launched last year, Dotnod called it a landmark work, having a transgender man, Tyler, as the first playable transgender character in a game from a major studio.
Dontnod worked closely with the LGBTQIA+ media group GLAAD to ensure the depiction of the game's trans and queer characters was respectful and authentic.
“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 said in their announcement.
The developers go on to list other games by trans or queer creators such as If Found..., That Which Faith Demands, Spirit Swap, and Ikenfell; while also asking fans to donate to charities.
“Even without money, there are other ways you can support trans communities and creators: by being an outspoken advocate for trans rights, promoting works you enjoy from trans, non-binary and gender-diverse creators and recommending them to your friends, and learning as much as you can about the significant contributions of trans people of color to LGBTQIA+ world history.”
The game won Best Authentic Representation and Best LGBTQ Character at the 2021 Gayming Awards, 2020 Gamescom winner of Best Microsoft Xbox game, and the Games for Impact category at The Game Awards 2020.
Dotnod is also the developer of the popular Life Is Strange video game series published by Square Enix.
Tell Me Why’s first episode has been free for a while now, but all three installments are free for the month. The regular price is a P450.00 from Steam.
Tags: #PrideMonth, #LGBTQIA+community, #TellMeWhy, #videogames