Xbox releases its Pride collection featuring a custom controller with 34 LGBTQ+ community flags
Microsoft has released a custom Xbox controller to celebrate Pride Month. (Microsoft/Instagram)
Microsoft and Xbox has released its Pride Month collection featuring a colourful controller and apparel range.
This year’s Pride campaign is all about self-expression, representation and support and will see them donate to LGBTQ+ organisations.
For 2022, gamers can get their hands on a customised Pride-themed controller, with a personalised engraving.
It features 34 of the community’s flags to create a broad and unique colour palette, including the trans, intersex, bisexual and lesbian flag colours.
There’s 40 new products for 2022, including t-shirts featuring a graphic of the Pride controller and an Xbox logo in the progress flag colours.
Other apparel pieces include the “Power Your Dreams” tagline for the campaign on t-shirts and tank tops and a tote bag featuring the controller design.
There’s also apparel inspired by fan-favourite games, with Pride designs of Double Fine, Halo, Sea of Thieves, Forza and State of Decay merch.
Finishing up the collection is t-shirts and sweatshirts with Pride-themed designs based on game developers Obsidian and inXile.
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You can also shop pieces from last year’s range, with stickers, tote bags, Xbox-branded merch and Halo merch available.
Microsoft has confirmed it will donate $170,000 to LGBTQ+ nonprofits alongside “to help in the fight for equity and equality”.
In the last year alone the company and its employees have also donated more than $8 million to organisations that support the LGBTQ+ community.
The t-shirt range features the Xbox logo in Pride flag colours and designs inspired by popular games.
The nonprofits include OutRight Action International, African Rainbow Family, National Center for Transgender Equality, Mermaids, Lavender Rights Project and Fulcrum UA.
Xbox will also continue to highlight games that reflect “the experiences of and resonating with LGBTQIA+ communities” like Unsighted and Dead by Daylight, both available on Xbox Game Pass.
To shop the Xbox Pride collection for 2022 head to uk.gear.xbox.com.
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Pride Month 2022
A number of brands have started to release their Pride-themed collections for 2022.
However, each year brands come under fire for chasing after the “pink pound” with their Pride clothing and ignoring LGBT+ people for the rest of the year.
In order to combat this, in recent years a number of brands have collaborated with LGBT+ artists and highlighted exactly how much money they’ll be donating to LGBT+ charities, and which charities will benefit from the Pride clothing sales.
This includes Target who have teamed up with queer, female-founded brands, TomboyX and Humankind for two limited edition ranges in 2022.
While Converse has launched its main collection alongside “Converse By You”, which lets fans create their own personalised “All Star” patch, license plate and laces, using the Progress Pride flag colours.
Levi’s has confirmed a $100,000 donation to OutRightAction International alongside its collection, watch brand Skagen will donate all proceeds from its Pride range to InterPride throughout June.
Another recent release is Dr. Martens who have reimagined their classic 1461 shoes with a subtle rainbow design against the monochrome white base.
