Today I am sharing Microsoft’s 2022 Global Diversity & Inclusion Report, our fourth annual report and our ninth year of releasing our global workforce demographic data. This year’s data shows that globally we are a more diverse Microsoft overall today than we have ever been, with the highest year-over-year representation progress of the past five-year period for many employee communities. We’re motivated by our ongoing progress, and this year’s growth feels particularly meaningful in the context of significant challenges around the world.
As one of the most transparent companies of our size when it comes to the diversity and inclusion data we share, we are continually evaluating where we are now and where we aspire to be. This year, in addition to the extensive data we usually share, we’re adding new data on U.S. populations that include multiracial employees and those with military experience, as well as data on workforce exits by women and men globally and race and ethnicity in the U.S., and more detail on representation of women worldwide by geographic regions. We are also sharing additional pay analysis data to further highlight the opportunity for us to continue to make progress on representation at all levels of the company.
Key highlights:
For the first time, women now make up more than 30% of the Microsoft’s core* workforce worldwide at 30.7%, up 1.0 percentage point since last year. Since 2018, representation of women has grown at least 1.0 percentage point every year.
At Microsoft, we are committed to the principle of pay equity. Pay equity accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay, including things like job title, level and tenure. As of September 2022:
Inside the U.S., all racial and ethnic minorities who are rewards eligible combined earn $1.008 total pay for every $1.000 earned by U.S. rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure.
Inside the U.S., women who are rewards eligible earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by rewards-eligible employees who are men and have the same job title and level and considering tenure.
Outside the U.S., women who are rewards eligible earn $1.002 total pay for every $1.000 earned by men who are rewards eligible with the same job title and level and considering tenure in the combined geographies we report on.
Employees from racial and ethnic minority communities now make up 53.2% of Microsoft’s core U.S. workforce, up 1.9 percentage points from last year.
Representation across Asian, Black and African American, Hispanic and Latinx, and multiracial employee populations in our core U.S. workforce has increased for each group since last year:
Asian representation has grown by 0.3 percentage points to 35.8%, and has grown by 3.9 percentage points since 2018.
Black and African American representation grew 0.9 percentage points to 6.6%, the highest year-over-year increase in the past five years.
Hispanic and Latinx representation grew 0.6 percentage points to 7.6%, the highest year-over-year increase in the past five years.
Multiracial representation is 2.6%, up 0.1 percentage point from last year.
We’re energized by our strides toward fulfilling our commitment made in 2020 to double the number of Black and African American and Hispanic and Latinx people managers, senior individual contributors and senior leaders in the U.S. by 2025 as part of our Racial Equity Initiative.
For Black and African American people managers (below Director level), we’re 116.0% of the way to our 2025 commitment.
For Black and African American Directors, Partners and Executives — including people managers and individual contributors — we’re 92.0% of the way to our commitment.
For Hispanic and Latinx people managers (below Director level), we’re 46.5% of the way to our commitment.
For Hispanic and Latinx Directors, Partners and Executives — including people managers and individual contributors — we’re 57.6% of the way to our commitment.
7.8% of employees in the U.S. self-identified as having a disability. This is an increase of 0.7 percentage points from last year.
This year, we added new reporting to continue to evolve how we reflect the many dimensions of identity within our workforce and to deepen transparency on our progress. For the first time, we’re sharing:
New dimensions of self-identification: We’ve added details on the population of U.S. employees who identify as multiracial. Increasing employees’ options to be more specific about their racial and ethnic identities helps us gather more actionable data, and we’ve heard from employees that having these options can help people feel more seen and included in the workplace. We’ve also expanded options for Asian employees in the U.S. to identify their backgrounds in further detail. The Asian community is the single largest racial and ethnic minority group within our company, encompassing more than 20 sub-identities. We aim to expand the detail we share in future reports once we have representative participation in this additional layer of self-identification.
Representation of U.S. employees with military status: Microsoft employs thousands of veterans and reserve service members around the world, and we offer employees the choice to identify as a person with military experience in 38 countries including the U.S. This data helps us to create more visibility for members of the Microsoft military community and better understand and support the diversity of our workforce. This year’s report shows that 4.7% of U.S. employees in our core Microsoft business self-identified as having served the U.S. Armed Forces or as having Protected Veteran status, a 0.4 percentage point increase from 2021. We aim to expand the detail we share in future reports once we have representative participation globally.
Workforce exits data: This year, for the first time, we’re reporting data on workforce exits of employees who have left Microsoft voluntarily or involuntarily. This reporting shows exits representation has declined 0.2 percentage points year over year for women globally. In the U.S., for Black and African American employees, exits representation has declined 0.3 percentage points year over year. Exits representation in the U.S. rose for Asian (5.1 percentage points), Hispanic and Latinx (0.4 percentage points), Native American and Alaska Native (0.2 percentage points), and multiracial (0.3 percentage points) employees since last year. Exits representation for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander employees was unchanged year over year.
Additional pay data: We have reported on pay equity since 2016 in support of our commitment to pay employees equitably for substantially similar work. While pay equity is a critical factor, it is only one factor in how we think about progress. To further highlight the opportunity to continue to make progress on representation at all levels of the company, we have chosen this moment to be even more transparent and also voluntarily disclose the unadjusted differences in median total pay for women inside and outside of the U.S., and for racial and ethnic minorities, Asian, Black and African American, and Hispanic and Latinx employees in the U.S. The median is the middle value of a data set. Therefore, median pay for a group of employees represents the value where half of the employees in that group are paid higher than that point and half of the employees in that group are paid lower. This analysis allows us to surface differences in median pay when we don’t adjust for things like job title, level, and tenure. As we continue to increase representation for women and racial and ethnic minorities at more senior levels, and continue to ensure pay equity for all, the gap between the medians will reduce. View additional pay data on page 30 of the report.
This year’s report also explores how we innovate for inclusion, setting the standard on accountability and transparency, advocating for employees and communities globally, and continuing to broaden career pathways into our industry.
YouTube Video
The work of diversity and inclusion at Microsoft isn’t about a pledge or a performance, but about being deeply connected to the powerful impact on our lived experience when the people we spend our workdays with value inclusion and embrace difference. This is one of the reasons we are encouraged by what our employee sentiment measurement tells us. This year, for instance, when asked whether they feel included in their teams, employees responded to this companywide survey question with an average score of 86 globally.
As we maintain our momentum on increasing representation and strengthening our culture of inclusion, we’ll continue to listen, we’ll continue to learn and just as importantly, we’ll continue to act.
*Core Microsoft business represents 83.9% of the worldwide broader Microsoft workforce and does not include our minimally integrated companies.
Microsoft is also working with First Women’s Bank to develop new learning, networking and business development opportunities for the entrepreneurs through the WIT Network andCloud Acceleratorprograms.
Aisha and Ruth Miller each brought their own unique skills and aspirations to their business, which officially opened on June 5. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Ruth Miller worked as an educator and principal prior to becoming an entrepreneur.
She’d always longed for more autonomy. When she retired, she originally aspired to open a daycare or school, but learning about Tropical Smoothie Café’s business model — and her love for the food and drinks the stores serve — convinced her to start a franchise with her daughter.
She even carried her passion for child education into her new business venture: She plans to incorporate various initiatives, including reading incentive programs, for the kids who attend neighboring schools.
“I kind of felt that maybe if I had my own business,” she says, “then I can do things my way.”
Aisha and Ruth Miller share a laugh behind the counter of their new business. (Photo by John Brecher)
Aisha Miller studied business administration at Howard University, earned her MBA from the University of Michigan and now works full-time as a technology and digital transformation consultant. At the café — nestled between other shops on Cicero Avenue in Burbank, Illinois — she focuses on the marketing and strategy of the franchise while her mother handles the day-to-day operations.
“I think we work really well together,” she says. “I think the older you get, your relationship with your mother evolves so it’s less mother-daughter and more like, I don’t know, two best friends doing a business venture together.”
Neither had ever owned a business, so when they decided to make the leap, they liked the idea that First Women’s Bank’s was the first commercial bank in the U.S. that was founded, owned and led by women with a mission to help other women succeed. They say they also found the support they needed there.
“Being the first in our family and the first of my friends to do anything like this, it was kind of important to go with them because they are also the first — it felt historic in that way,” reflects Aisha Miller. “They wanted to know about us, like who were we as business owners? What was our vision? They just felt invested in us as people, and invested in our dream.”
Now the Millers are creating their own impact in the community. They have hired 28 part-time employees, a racially diverse group including many high school and college students.
Bringing LGBTQIA+ history to life in the metaverse and through open source design.
By Aleksey Fedorov
It feels like it’s about to rain. Dark silhouettes of skyscrapers shape the horizon. I can hear the chants and feel the energy of a nearby crowd. As I walk toward Stonewall Inn, I’m repeating the steps millions have taken before me and though I’ve been here countless times before, this time is different. I’m here in my VR headset, virtually experiencing Christopher Street Park in the metaverse.
Many of our community’s memories are tied to places and events — like that fateful night of June 28, 1969, at Stonewall Inn — and to honor LGBTQIA+ History Month, we wanted to bring history to life in an accessible way. We’re excited to invite everyone into this living museum, which is filled with rich stories, collective memories, and poignant interviews.
Christopher Street Park has been re-created in AltSpace VR for everyone to experience and discover.
Creating the future we want to see can only happen if we decide to make history together, which is why we’re also open sourcing the Pride flag we released this past June! We’ve long been believers in the power of democratic design — in people coming together to define their own narratives and futures — and we were so inspired and humbled by the global response to the flag design that we want to share it beyond our own borders. By open sourcing it, we’re eager to see how you remix it as a way of continuing to create and define the future of our movement.
Here is the story of these two new experiences.
Pride flag now represents 40 LGBTQIA+ communities and is open source, available for everyone to build on.
A Banner of Pride The Pride flag is one of the most visible symbols of the LGBTQIA+ community. Originally created by Gilbert Baker in 1978, it has gone through many updates and changes over the years to reflect the ever-growing and expanding movement.
“We wanted to show how large our community is. Intersectionality. Solidarity. Unity. They are important, we need them more than ever,” said Andre Bazire, one of the people behind the new Pride flag that Microsoft introduced this year.
Those themes resonated deeply with our global community, and your reactions defied our wildest imagination.
“Flag discourse is over, this is the new flag now,” said dieDoktor in response to the flag design. “It’s a vibe.” “It’s so chaotic, I love it.” The first comments came in quickly and within hours, there were thousands of likes, retweets, replies, and new comments that gave us all the feels. “Into the queerverse,” “Bi not afraid,” “Biblically accurate Pride flag.”
A few of our favorite reactions and tweets to the Pride flag we shared earlier this year.
In this avalanche of emotions one thing was clear: people loved the representation the flag brought to light — and the daring, unapologetic way we celebrated LGBTQIA+ unity and impact.
We believe in the collective power to make change. Pride for us is not a private project. Inspired by your response, we’re making our 2022 Pride flag design available to every person on the planet — to use, build on, and share. Together.
We’re releasing source files and ready-made assets on GitHub and Figma under Creative Commons licenses, from wallpapers for laptops, tablets and phones, to assets that you can make wholly yours.
We’re also making updates to the original flag design to further advance LGBTQIA+ visibility and representation. With the addition of Aroace, Ambiamorous, Aroflux, Aceflux, Demiromantic, and Unlabeled flags, this Pride flag now represents 40 LGBTQIA+ communities in all — and our passion for expanding LGBTQIA+ visibility and representation doesn’t stop here. We hope you’ll continue building and evolving this flag yourself, as a symbol of Pride that unites and grows beyond borders.
From left to right, the new Pride flag and the original version with Ally flags. The new flag features updated flag colors and six more LGBTQIA+ flags.
Living history What happened at Stonewall Inn changed our history. At a time when some are trying to reverse the progress of the past decades, Microsoft designer iAsia Brown felt compelled to act. “It’s so important for us to know our history. Where we came from, what we fought for, and use that as a starting point for action today,” she said.
We know that proximity drives empathy, so Brown, together with a few Microsoft designers and industry experts, set about re-creating Christopher Street Park in VR. “We didn’t just want to build another street. We wanted to create a living museum. A place you can keep coming back for more and keep learning.”
The street is walled with video screens showing footage from the riots. Interviews with activists intersperse with stories and audio snippets, and there’s a timeline of key milestones of LGBTQIA+ history. And, like in a real museum, there are real visitors — just like you, too.
Microsoft designer iAsia Brown narrates a short, guided tour of Christopher Street Park, accessible for everyone on YouTube.
And because history should be shared, we are making this experience available for everyone on the planet. You can join on Windows, Mac, or in a VR headset and experience it with others. We are also excited to release a short, guided tour narrated by iAsia herself.
Honoring LGBTQIA+ people every day of the year The power of human history lies in the visceral ties between the past, present, and future. The past remains alive in the present and it’s from the present that we imagine the future we want to build together.
Pride history is alive every single day and as we strive to uplift LGBTQIA+ people worldwide, we’re leaning into the power of the metaverse and open source design. We hope these new experiences inspire you to continue creating and defining our shared history and we’d love for you to join us on this journey here and on Microsoft Unlocked.
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella last week joined an Xbox Academy workshop designed to support and inspire an audience of aspiring game developers from all across the UK.
In partnership with Into Games and Catch 22, Microsoft’s Xbox Academy hosted a free two-hour workshop in London where a panel of games industry specialists shared their expert knowledge and advice with young people, many of whom come from hard-to-reach or under-represented backgrounds.
Sixty percent of UK adults play games.
“It’s fantastic to see an event like this, and a group like this coming together,” Satya told attendees during his fireside chat with Xbox On host, Charleyy Hodson. “To build a great game, you need to start by saying let’s attract a whole diverse group of people to get into this industry and be part of the teams that are creating these games.
Satya underscored the importance of gaming to Microsoft, and Microsoft’s commitment to the industry, saying “It’s core to our DNA … what motivates us is how we bring more of the joy of gaming to the 3 billion people who play.”
Speaking about the range of skills required to create games, Satya added “We, as an industry, have to continue to really make it more inviting. It’s not just about hardcore coding – it’s that spectrum of skills that are required to create games.
“I think that the case for diversity in gaming is actually probably the easiest to see, because of the very nature of what games are,” Satya added. “We are definitely very committed to doing our part, in terms of whether it’s Xbox Academy or anything else that will help more gamers or more people across all backgrounds get into [the games industry].”
Satya was joined by Rare Studio Head Craig Duncan and Executive Producer Louise O’Connor, who each reflected upon their own careers and echoed Xbox’s commitment to fostering talent in great studios that, in turn, make great games wherever, whenever, and however players want to play.
Into Games’ Chief Executive Declan Cassidy and Cassia Curran, founder of Curran Games Agency, also offered practical advice and guidance on establishing a career in the UK games industry.
Attendees were able to direct questions to all speakers and find out more about establishing a games industry career in their particular area of interest.
Craig Duncan, Studio Head, Rare and Louise O’Connor, Exec Producer, Rare
Cassia Curran, Founder, Curran Games Agency
James Butcher, Xbox Category Director, UK and Ireland
Declan Cassidy, Chief Executive, Into Games
As for Satya ‘s personal advice to those looking to kick off a games industry career?
“I always say, don’t wait for your next job to do your best work,” Satya advised. “I never felt that the first job I was doing was less important than the job I’m doing today, quite honestly.
“We all have a high ambition, we want to get somewhere – and that’s all fantastic. But what’s going to get you there is the passion and the excellence with which you deliver what you’re doing today.”
“These kinds of events are amazing for me,” said attendee, Ben, afterwards. “My passion is accessibility and I’m particularly interested in user experience. I think a big thing for me is trying to find a company which has the same kinds of values as me, so I want to have a word with Rare in a bit!”
Kyle, who came through the Catch 22 programme, was particularly interested in Cassia Curran’s advice about the differences between game development and game publishing, whilst Max – who had travelled from Manchester to take part in the workshop following a C++ bootcamp hosted by Into Games – was looking for “good advice from people about what they have learned along the way making games”.
A recent survey from HBCU Connect, commissioned by Microsoft, determined that out of 200 respondents, approximately 95% of college students and alumni from HBCUs across the country shared that they have interest in a career in the gaming industry, with 34% of respondents stating that they were specifically interested in Program Management roles, 24% interested in Engineering roles and 18% interested in Gaming Development roles. This week marks National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week in the United States, which occurs annually in September, an initiative led by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to recognize these institutions’ contributions to the U.S and to commemorate HBCUs’ impact on American Culture.
Gaming is a leading form of entertainment, but to date – only 2% of professionals in the video game industry are Black compared with 13% of the U.S. population. In partnership with members of the Black Communities at Xbox, Xbox is looking to uplevel that statistic and close this gap by promoting pipelines for Black people and youth across the gaming industry. Introducing: Project Amplify – a video series that aims to magnify Black voices within Xbox to inspire, educate and motivate youth across the U.S. to aspire towards careers in the gaming industry through real-life storytelling from Black leaders and employees across the Xbox ecosystem.
Project Amplify features fourteen Black employees from across Xbox as they each share advice, insights into their current roles, and highlights from their time within the gaming industry. This video series is meant to educate youth on the diversity of roles within the gaming industry, while highlighting some of the Black people who are working in those roles, daily. On behalf of the Black Communities at Xbox, co-leads shared their personal stories in the video series, of their journey into the gaming industry inclusive of:
“Growing up I didn’t have much of a vision for what my career would be. I decided to go to college because I thought it was a way to ‘get a good job’ and escape poverty, but even as a freshman Computer Science major, I still had a very shallow knowledge of the opportunities that the tech industry presented me. Throughout my college experience and with internships, I learned more about how big the world is – how many companies, careers, and pathways exist for you to find or create a job that you love. I want more people to know that they have options, nothing is impossible or out of reach for them and encourage those to start chasing their passions early.” – Q Muhaimin, Product Manager
“In my early years I was more focused on what not to do versus what I could be. It wasn’t until my adult years that I learned to leverage my passion for games into a career. I am now incredibly thankful to be celebrating 10+ years in my dream career and I hope Project Amplify inspires people to dream and take action toward their own goals. As my coaches & mentors would say, “play to win instead of playing to not lose.” – James Lewis, Senior Business Development Manager
To launch this initiative, Xbox is partnering with the 2022 Revolt Summit x AT&T for a 2-day event (September 24-25) to reach students and gaming enthusiasts through on-site industry panels and networking opportunities with members of the Black Communities at Xbox.
For additional resources:
Learn programming fundamentals and C# with the following tutorials:
Introduction to C#: Written tutorial with sample projects that takes you from “hello world”, to numbers, loops, some basic data structures, and OOP concepts like inheritance.
C# 101: A video series along the same lines as the written tutorial.
Once comfortable with fundamentals and C#, try Unity courses:
Download and learn fundamentals of Unreal Engine with tutorials:
Learn about game design:
Some game designers at Xbox Game Studios consider these two GDC (Game Developers Conference) presentations very informative and inspiring if you are into game design.
Learn about the game development process:
Narrative Tools to get started with:
Twine: an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories
Art Tools to get started with:
GIMP or Krita are great free resources to get started learning how to use textures
Ignacio Davila, a member of the Hispanic and Latinx community at Microsoft, explores how his personal challenges inspired him to drive innovations in the medical space, so that others can experience the same support that he did from his Microsoft coworkers and peers.
I grew up in a small town by the sea on the eastern side of Cuba. It was a simple, yet fulfilling childhood, where I spent my free time making jewelry from old buttons, tending to my cactus collection, and exploring the sand and waves. I attended the University of Havana, but it wasn’t until I moved to the U.S. and started my career in the tech industry as a web producer in Miami, Florida in the late 90s that I realized I had become part of a larger and more diverse community.
My role back then was to create original content and build digital experiences for Latin America and the Hispanic audience in the U.S. As I developed meaningful relationships with other Latino people and those in the United States with Latin American heritage, my social circle became far more diverse, representing a wide range of rich cultures. Five years later, I moved to Redmond, Washington when I was hired by Microsoft to launch and lead MSN Latino, the Spanish version of MSN for the U.S. Once again, my personal identity expanded, and I was able to experience the difference in the Hispanic demographic between the West and East Coast. Over time, my accent changed. My vocabulary changed. Despite the differences, I developed a deeper appreciation for what Hispanic people have in common: our shared family values, our strong work ethic, our traditions, and our sense of responsibility. Today, I identify not only as Cuban, but Latina and Hispanic American.
In 2012, I joined Xbox as the Director of Programming for the Latin American region. My team was responsible for curating and publishing localized content for our passionate Xbox audience. The first console release I was part of was the Xbox One. It was a thrilling experience to travel across Latin America and directly connect with gamers just after the console’s release. Currently, I lead a multidisciplinary team as the General Manager for Customer Experience with Microsoft Gaming. Next year, I’ll celebrate 20 years with Microsoft.
I am proud to represent Latinas and women in leadership. Paving the way as a foreign-born woman in a male-dominated industry has been no easy task, but gratefully Microsoft has given me the opportunity to work with leaders who value diverse perspectives and who see my potential. I am proud to be a part of Xbox’s evolution from being a console-centric business to a player-centric business which has allowed us to bring the joy and community of gaming to many more players and communities around the world outside of the traditional console markets. I’m also proud of that little girl, exploring the warm shore in Cuba, who dared to dream big dreams.
I am honored to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Xbox. For me, this time is about celebrating our rich culture as Hispanic and Latino people in America, whose identity has changed and expanded to include not only our countries of origin, but the identities of other Latin American cultures and American culture as we are woven together in a tapestry. It’s about raising awareness and recognizing the positive impact our community has made to the development and success of this country. It’s about empowering content creators to encourage authentic representation by including Hispanic contributors in their teams and getting feedback from the community early in the process. Lastly, it’s a great opportunity to show the world how proud we are to be part of this amazing community.
Here are a few ways that Team Xbox will be supporting Hispanic and Latino communities and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month:
GIVE
Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards
Microsoft Rewards members in the United States can show their support for Hispanic communities with Xbox by earning and donating rewards points. The organizations below will be featured on console:
Hispanic Heritage Foundation– HHF’s mission focuses on education, workforce, identity, and social impact through the lens of leadership and culture.
Latinx in Gaming– connects Latinos across the gaming industry, promotes cultural appreciation and representation in games/game-related content, and provides a platform for the Hispanic community to elevate each other and themselves.
CARE– works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice in 100 countries including Latin America and the Caribbean.
Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards points in various ways, such as playing or purchasing games after downloading the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox. Earn points and redeem them for real rewards. Join us today and give with Xbox.
DISCOVER
Xbox Ambassadors Feature Stories about Hispanic Representation in Gaming
For Hispanic Heritage Month, the Xbox Ambassadors team asked Hispanic and Latino Ambassadors about the importance of seeing themselves represented in games and how it impacts their own experience as members of the gaming community.
Undoubtedly, Hispanic characters have made a mark in my gaming trajectory. I will never forget Dominic Santiago and Kait Diaz from the Gears franchise. Most recently it gave me great pride to see Mexico featured in the most recent Forza Horizon 5. Additionally, I really enjoyed the Far Cry 6 soundtrack where many artists from Puerto Rico are featured and the lead character even sings along to the songs while operating vehicles.
I founded Xbox Live Puerto Rico in 2010. 12 years later we are still going strong with a great team of Xbox Ambassadors administrators giving our local community great information, event coverage, and assistance when needed. Our main goal right now is to get Puerto Rico included in the Xbox Rewards Program so our community members can enjoy their points and perks.
Storytelling Series with Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory Students and Local Influencers
The US Xbox Marketing team is partnering with students from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatoryin Los Angeles to create a series of videos showcasing and celebrating Hispanic and Latino art, food, fashion, community, and esports. The aspiring BHAC students will participate in the production and storytelling of local creatives including Chef Wes Avila, President of the Gamers of Color Club, Nyah Serrano, artist/muralist, Downtown Daniel, and fashion/graphic designer, Francisco Reyes, Jr (aka Never Made) and will launch in early October.
Explore Games Curated by Hispanic and Latino Communities at Microsoft
Games provide a unique form of storytelling and it’s powerful to see and celebrate the contributions, achievements, and experiences that the Hispanic and Latino communities bring to gaming. Now, more than ever, members of the Hispanic and Latino communities in the tech industry are able to express their own personal stories through games. We will highlight the voices that bring a rich and vibrant history to life through authentic storytelling and inspired creativity.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to highlight Hispanic and Latino creators, lead characters, and games inspired by the culture and locations of the Hispanic and Latino communities around the world. This collection is available on Xbox, Windows, Mobile, and the Cloud year-round as part of our ongoing work to create more inclusive gaming ecosystems and elevate content that resonates with communities while increasing awareness of their unique perspectives and artistry.
Moonglow Bay (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Moonglow Bay is beautifully art directed by Lu Nascimento, the co-founder of indie studio Bunnyhug Games, who identifies as a queer Brazilian. This cutesy game allows you to take on the role of a fisher and unravel a heartfelt story in a LGBTQIA+ friendly town.
Grim Fandango Remastered (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Inspired by the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos and Aztec folklore, this story centers around protagonist Manny Calavera’s adventures in the Land of the Dead. This adventure game also features voice talent and dialogue input from Latino actors, Tony Plana and Maria Canals-Barrera.
Spacelines from the Far Out (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Spacelines from the Far Out is a creative co-op game about managing airlines in space. This game was developed by Coffeenauts, an up-and-coming game design studio in Brazil driven by a passion for creating captivating games and a love of caffeine.
Dandy Ace (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – From Brazilian developer Mad Mimic, comes the tale of a flamboyant magician named Dandy Ace in a fast-paced roguelike adventure. Dandy Ace uses his magical cards to fight and loot his way out of imprisonment within a cursed mirror.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Face the apocalypse as Javier “Javi” García, a former baseball player on a mission to find his Cuban-American family. Decide how the story should play out in this narrative adventure as Javi teams up with Clementine in an attempt to survive long enough to rescue their respective families.
View this collection on the Microsoft Store on Xbox and the Microsoft Store on Windows in the United States. Visitors can find this collection at any time by searching within the Stores for “Hispanic,” “Latino,” and related terms.
New Gamerpics, Profile Theme, and Avatar Items
In partnership with Hispanic and Latino communities at Xbox, we’re introducing a new gamerpic, profile themes, and avatar items! The gamerpic and profile theme will be available on console and the Xbox PC app. Get your avatar items here.
PLAY
LatinExplorers: A Hispanic Heritage Journey
Minecraft Education partnered with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation on a new Minecraft learning experience to inspire and equip students to become changemakers. LatinExplorers: A Hispanic Heritage Journey will build actionable leadership and social emotional skills with guidance by impactful real-life Hispanic leaders through three powerful narratives about climate, care, creativity, and community. Young learners explore how to connect personal passions with careers and workforce opportunities in the future digital economy. This content is available now in 29 languages in Minecraft: Education Edition and Bedrock via the Minecraft Marketplace.
Create Celebratory Photos and Liveries in Forza Horizon 5
Do you enjoy snapping in-game photos? Do you like creating unique livery designs for your virtual car collection? The Forza team invites you to share your creations that celebrate the environment and culture of the Horizon Festival in Mexico, honoring the real-world Mexican landmarks, nature, buildings, and art that can be explored in-game. These weekly photo and livery contests have specific sub-themes to inspire your creations:
Sept. 9 – Nature
Sept. 16 – Architecture
Sept. 23 – Art & Textiles
Sept. 30 – Horizon Stories
We’ll feature our favorite community creations on the official Forza Horizon accounts, and award in-game items to the winners of each weekly contest as well as to any and all participants who submit eligible creations! Here’s more information on how to participate.
TUNE IN
Xbox Plays Celebrates Hispanic Communities
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Xbox Plays will be dedicating much of our livestreaming content in September and October to Hispaniccommunities, featuring streamers/content creators! Follow us on theXbox Twitch Channel and don’t miss any of the action!
A bright student fascinated by political movements, Aleksey studied international relations at Saint Petersburg State University with the goal of applying his education to effect change. But he became disillusioned with the nonprofit sector and started seeing the business world as a more powerful force for impacting society. He headed off to business school and discovered a passion for marketing and branding, disciplines he believed could help make a difference in people’s lives by conveying the good work businesses were doing.
Aleksey was part of a student team that won a Microsoft business competition, and soon after completing a master’s degree in international business in 2011 he was offered a job at Microsoft’s Moscow office. The position, which would be the first of 11 at Microsoft in as many years, involved generating fans and brand love for Windows. Aleksey helped create Windows collaborations with large companies including Disney and Starbucks and drove marketing for Windows apps in Russia.
“Microsoft was kind of a merger of passions for me—for technology and for doing something amazing for the public good with technology,” Aleksey says. “I was always drawn to Microsoft because I feel like the company is fundamentally standing up for the right things.”
Life was going well. Aleksey’s career was flourishing, and he was dating a man, Nikolay, who would later become their husband. They met during the 2011 protests around Russia’s elections and some of their first dates were on the streets of Moscow at demonstrations. When Russia invaded and subsequently annexed Crimea in 2014, they took to the streets again.
But that year, the Russian government passed a law criminalizing protests, and one day Nikolay was arrested and fined. If that happened again, Aleksey knew Nikolay could face a criminal sentence and possible prison time. Staying in Russia was becoming too dangerous. So, Aleksey decided to apply for a job at Microsoft in the United States.
“I really loved my work at Microsoft in Russia, but I wanted to have more impact on the strategy and work—not just in the go-to-market aspect, but the idea behind what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” he says. “And so these two forces, there was a confluence of them.”
Aleksey was offered a marketing position with Windows Store at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and moved with Nikolay, a visual artist, to Seattle in 2015. A few weeks later, the couple went to Seattle’s Pride parade. It turned out to be a pivotal moment for Aleksey personally and professionally.
At the time, Aleksey says, they didn’t perceive Pride as being very visible at Microsoft’s headquarters. The company had long supported LGBTQIA+ rights and was sponsoring Pride efforts in cities around the world, but Aleksey believed Microsoft had an opportunity to be even more vocal about its values. He envisioned a campaign that would use Microsoft’s platform to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and create a movement that could engage with customers, with the goal of driving societal change.
Aleksey was elected as Microsoft’s worldwide Pride campaign co-chair in 2017, helping lead a team of more than 200 volunteers working on events in 60 cities around the world. The following year, the team interviewed LGBTQIA+ employees across the company and featured their stories on a new website and on social media.
In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, Microsoft Pride took a significant step forward. Aleksey worked with Microsoft’s industrial design team to develop a Pride Surface type cover and skin, as well as Windows wallpapers and other Pride-related products, to promote inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community.
As Aleksey saw it, “We have these tremendous products which have millions of customer touch points every single day, and that’s the best channel we have. If we release something for Pride—for Surface or for Office or for Xbox—we will reach millions of people.
“We know that proximity drives empathy,” they say, “and when people are exposed to these messages, they’re more likely to change their minds or act in support of the community.”
That year, Aleksey—who by then had moved from head of brand strategy for Microsoft Store to head of executive communications for Microsoft Gaming—received a company award for their work in promoting diversity and inclusion efforts and revamping brand and design guidelines for Microsoft Store.
Accepting the award, Aleksey was quick to credit their community. “This is about all of us, because every day we make choices (about) who we include and who we do not include,” they said, addressing the audience at the awards ceremony. “This is for all of us making the change in this company and beyond.
Still, Aleksey has been instrumental in driving the vision around Microsoft’s Pride campaign and determining how to build upon it year after year, says Eileen Mikloiche, one of three global Pride co-chairs, along with Aleksey and iAsia Brown in 2022. Since 2021, Aleksey has been the worldwide membership cochair for GLEAM, Microsoft’s employee resource group for the LGBTQIA+ community, one of nine such groups that reflect Microsoft’s diverse employee base. His work with GLEAM, combined with his position in Microsoft branding, gives him a unique perspective on both the internal and external aspects of Microsoft’s Pride campaign, Eileen says.
Aleksey has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve, she says, and doesn’t take no for an answer when he’s passionate about something, which is often.
“You just feel his passion because it’s authentic. It comes from his heart,” she says. “He inspires people to want to be part of something bigger and to see what they can contribute to bring it to life. When you encounter someone like that, the passion is contagious. The excitement is contagious.”
For much of my life, I attempted to cover my Karuk heritage. I would hear a hurtful stereotype but not have the courage to speak up because previous instances were met with, “but you’re white,” as if my Indigenous heritage should be splayed along my skin to count. Fast forward to the summer of 2019 when I took the opportunity to celebrate my birthday with my tribe at our annual reunion on the Klamath River. I had conversations with members of my tribe who expressed that they could not imagine themselves working in the tech industry or that tech industry had a place for them. As a person with Indigenous heritage and a leader in the gaming industry, those conversations sparked a passion to overtly represent Indigenous people through my work. Today, as Xbox celebrates International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, I am writing from the ancestral homeland of the Congaree and the Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East) Peoples and I commit to telling the importance of representation of Indigenous Peoples in their honor.
My tribe, the Karuk, are the “Upriver People.” We have been the stewards of our Northern California territories since time immemorial. To this day, our Department of Natural Resources practices Indigenous land management and cultural burning where permitted while advocating for our lands. In my home office, I display a traditional dentalium shell necklace being worn by Sheepsquatch on my bookcase. I also have on my office bookshelf a copy of “Fire Race: A Karuk Coyote Tale of How Fire Came to the People” by Johnathan London. These links to my heritage are proudly on display during every conversation I have at Xbox and have led to great conversations about Indigenous representation with colleagues. I also serve as the co-lead for our Indigenous employee community group at Xbox.
For those who don’t work in the tech industry, there is often a misconception that you have to know how to code to get into gaming. But games are about so much more than just code; video games are an artistic medium told through visual art, music, and narrative storytelling. Indigenous peoples have traditionally ingrained wisdom and knowledge through oral narrative, through passing stories and songs down from one generation to the next. Now, these stories can continue to be memorialized through video games by those of us who work in the industry or those who will tell our stories.
I distinctly remember playing Never Alone, which is a puzzle platformer developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat Alaskan Native people. The rich narrative tells the story of a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic fox who are surviving the Arctic tundra, which has been ravaged by an everlasting blizzard. As I progressed through the story, I was able to unlock fascinating cultural highlights which are actual interviews from Iñupiat members who share about their beliefs and culture. I soaked in the stories about how the northern lights came to be or the importance of caribou leather insulating from the cold. I finished the game on a Wednesday and found myself on a flight to Alaska on Saturday morning. I admired an elderly woman and her daughter, who was wearing traditional clothing, her fur lined hood on a royal blue parka, boarding the plane from Anchorage to Fairbanks. To my excitement, their seats were next to mine on the plane. She asked why I was visiting Alaska. With a kind smile, she nodded and listened as I rambled excitedly about this video game, this Indigenous artistic masterpiece, and that I was coming to Alaska to visit in real life what I had experienced through the game. When I’d finished, the elderly woman revealed that she was an Iñupiat elder and one of the tribal members who contributed to the game’s creation. In that moment I truly felt not alone – seen, understood by, and connected for just a moment with another Indigenous person thousands of miles from my own home.
I know what it’s like to feel alone. So many Indigenous people cover who they are for fear of being misunderstood or made fun of. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me why I don’t wear a feather headdress, or worse, how many people are surprised to learn that Indigenous peoples are alive and well, not just a relic from history. Indigenous peoples are underrepresented in every area of life. Through video games, we at Xbox have the incredible opportunity to elevate and give voice to communities that have been systemically oppressed. All people deserve a place at the table. I love this industry and I love video games as an artistic, narrative medium.
Join Xbox as we celebrate the rich histories of Indigenous peoples all over the world for International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples as well as throughout the year:
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Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards
Throughout the month of August, we’re adding organizations that support Indigenous communities to Microsoft Rewards on console. Microsoft Rewards members in the United States and the Canada can earn and donate points to organizations supporting gaming and disability communities with Xbox.
American Indian Science and Engineering Society: AISES is a national nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers.
FirstNations Development Institute: Our mission is to strengthen American Indian economies to support healthy Native communities. We invest in and create innovative institutions and models that strengthen asset control and support economic development for American Indian people and their communities.
Indspire: Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. In partnership with Indigenous, private and public sector stakeholders, Indspire educates, connects and invests in Indigenous people so they will achieve their highest potential.
Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards points in various ways, such as playing or purchasing games after downloading the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox. Earn points and redeem them for real rewards. Join us today and donate through Xbox.
Discover
Visual Storytelling through Indigenous Artists and Xbox
Representation is important. We say this throughout the year for all underrepresented communities, but it’s particularly important for the Indigenous community. Each tribe has a unique style to their artwork as well as medium (e.g. basketry). We worked with Indigenous artists across the world to redesign the Xbox logo in a way that was authentic to them and their tribes. Xbox will be updating this page with more art throughout the month, so stay tuned! Each piece tells its own story, so read on to learn about these amazing artists and the stories they tell through art:
Artist: Chief Lady Bird
Chief Lady Bird: When approaching this logo, I was inspired by the connection between video games and Anishinaabe oral tradition, which is storytelling and the use of narrative to experience the world around us. In this drawing in particular, I was imagining a video game in woodland style, and was curious about which cultural icons or creatures would be cast as a “boss” in an RPG. I opted for a snake in this instance as opposed to one of our sacred spirits because it has been used as a symbol cross-culturally and across the globe in many different ways; I felt like it could be widely understood even when presented through an Anishinaabe lens. – Instagram: @chiefladybird
Artist: Carl Avery
Carl Avery: The Xbox logo I created is inspired by the traditional regalia worn during the Jump Dance of the Yurok people. This dance is meant to bring healing and positive energy to the earth as well as promote healthy crops, healthy rivers, and plentiful harvest. The headdress is made from woodpecker scalps, rabbit fur, and deer hide. This headdress is usually dressed up with some abalone and other shells as the Yurok Tribe lived along the Klamath River extending into the mouth of the river where it meets the Pacific Ocean. The headdress feather is that of the American Bald Eagle dressed with abalone using the Sturgeon Back design. The necklace is made from dentalium shells and is used traditionally for trade and currency. The basket is made from willow sticks, woven to hold medicine during the dance. The jump dance lasts ten days in total and is performed every two years by a chosen family, which is mostly determined based on the location of the dance site and a family’s land. In the background of this image is a basket also made from willow sticks, which can be found along the riverbanks. The designs are also all specific to the area. Starting in the middle is the Swallow Tail design, followed by the snake nose design, and finally the friendship design border. The different colors in the design were often dyed using roots, berries, and other natural dyes. Red, being the rarest, was highly sought after and was held for the tribes’ most important members. This artwork is loosely based on my family’s regalia in the dance grounds known as “Kawtep” in Johnsons, CA. – Website: Carl Avery Studios
Artist: Bethany Fackrell
Bethany Fackrell: In re-designing the Xbox logo, I am honored to represent my people, the Snoqualmie Tribe, while sharing what makes us culturally different in a contemporary and traditional art form. Using the traditional “make-ups” of a story board, I chose to tell the story of our peoples’ creation.
Story Boards are a traditional art style used by the Snoqualmie people, unlike the commonly known totem poles by many of Salish Tribes. Story Boards were used to tell important or spiritual stories by using symbolic references and purposeful representation in the maker’s story. Traditionally, this art is carved into cedar and is simplistic consisting of pigments of black, red, white, and sometimes yellow.
When Two sisters go digging for fern roots, they end up in Sky World and get married to stars. One of the sisters becomes pregnant. Then one day, the sisters go to dig fern roots in Sky World and dig deep enough to make a hole and see earth. The sisters decided to weave a cedar rope long enough to get back home with the child. When they arrived, they celebrated their return home, during which Dog Salmon stole the child away. Blue Jay, who found the child, (much older now) returned him home. Upon their return it was discovered he had powers and was too strong to stay on Earth. So, he returned to the Sky World and became the moon; also known as “Transformer” (creator).
At the top of the logo is the Sky World. There are also two large stars on the left and right of the logo by each sister, representing their marriage to the stars. The cedar rope represents how the sisters returned back to Earth. Throughout the logo you see (what I believe) represents the most important aspects of our creation story. I used crescent moons inside the pregnant sister and in Dog Salmon to represent the child’s journey in becoming the moon. On the bottom of the logo is a large red moon, being the final transition and form of the child/ young adult (as our creator). I included Dog Salmon and Blue Jay in this section, for their significance in the events of how the child becomes the moon, thus creating us. The waterfall and the five circles represent our tribe and the five clans.
Artist: Rubii Red
Rubii Red: The work is my interpretation of connection, community and journey. A lot of my work reflects those themes, because as a First Nations woman, they are important to me and have helped shape me into the person I am today. I’m on a journey, learning about who I am by connecting to the community and learning more about my culture from my Elders. – Website: Rubii Red Art
Artist: Haimona Maruera and Dillon King
Haimona Mauera (cultural advisor) and Dillon King: As a proud descendant of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, this design derives from the Māori atua (god) named Māui. Māui was the infamous atua known by several names such as Māui-Pōtiki (the last born), Māui-Tinihanga (the mischief), Māui-Tikitiki-a-Taranga (the topknot o Taranga), and Māui-te-whare-kino (the house of trouble). This infamous atua brought the inquisitive and the intellectual attributes to our world. This Xbox logo represents the key art functions of Te Ao Māori, which we practice as guardians of our culture and identity. The left section represents Raranga (weaving) which is used to make food baskets, cloaks, and bassinets. The bottom section represents Ko`whaiwhai (pattern) which is commonly seen in our wharenui (meeting houses) and represents the many generations of Māori. The right section represents Whakairo (traditional carving) which is used in our wharenui (meeting houses) and on weaponry. Finally, the top section represents Tā Moko (skin markings) which allows myself as an Indigenous Māori to display genealogy and history through the etching, piercing, and pigmenting of skin.
Bethesda Celebrates Sámi National Day Author: Anna Erlandsson, Community Manager at Bethesda Nordics
The Sámi people are one of the Nordics indigenous groups that lives in both Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Throughout the history, the Sámi people, as many Indigenous groups, have been subjects for discrimination and injustice. With that in mind and with the rich history and impact the Sámi people have on the Nordics, I feel that it is important to celebrate the Sámi National Day, just as we do with the other national days of the Nordics.
To better highlight the day, I decided to work with Swedish artist Petra Brandström to have her make an artwork that captured the proudness and freedom of the Sámi people combined with Bethesda elements.
“It was really fun to be able to do this. I love Skyrim, dragons, and the beautifullandscapes we have in the Nordics and I am very proud to have been part of highlighting the Sámi national holiday.”
In addition to this and to give Nordics with a Sámi heritage a voice and space on this special day, I worked with Norwegian and Sámi ESO streamer Vikingtrash who made a stream where she talked about the Sámi culture and played ESO.
“It felt so special and important to celebrate the day of all Sámi people, while also educating about the history and traditions we have. I, myself, have been trying to represent my Sámi heritage more and I’m so happy to share it with everyone. I think it’s great that we can have indigenous culture in the spotlight and show everyone the beautiful culture that the Sámi people have.”
For the Nordics and for our community, it is important to highlight the Sámi National Day since the Sámi people are part of the Nordic history, their heritage and culture have had a huge impact on the countries here and they are a living culture and part of the future here. It is something we must remember and keep alive.
Xbox Ambassadors Feature Stories about Indigenous Representation in Gaming
On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and the following days, we will be spotlighting stories about representation in gaming from Indigenous gamers in the Xbox Ambassadors community. Read their stories here.
Play
Explore Games Curated by Indigenous Communities at Microsoft
Last November, we partnered with Indigenous communities at Microsoft to highlight games, inspired by Indigenous creators, culture, and protagonists around the world on Xbox and Windows. This collection is available year-round as part of our ongoing work to create more inclusive gaming ecosystems and elevate content that resonates with communities while increasing awareness of their unique perspectives and artistry.
Tell Me Why (Available on Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Set in rural Alaska, this game features Indigenous characters. The development team worked closely with Huna Tlingit community leaders and the Huna Heritage Foundation to represent Tlingit culture. This game includes strong LGBTQIA+ themes and features, Michael, an Indigenous queer character.
Raji: An Ancient Epic – Play as Raji, a young girl in search of her brother, during a war between gods and demons. This unique action-adventure game set in ancient India is inspired by Hindu and Balinese mythology.
Never Alone – Alaska Native storytellers helped to develop this game around traditional Iñupiat lore. Never Alone features an Iñupiaq girl named Nuna and her Arctic fox companion. Players experience the narrative through a series of atmospheric puzzles, symbolizing the intergenerational transference of wisdom through collecting “cultural insights” across the harsh arctic environment. Learn more about the making of the game here.
Button City – This colorful narrative game was created by Shandiin Yazzie Woodward, an artist who identifies as Diné. Button City focuses on the true power of friendship and importance of community building. Subliminal Games is dedicated to lifting diverse and marginalized voices within games and is Indigenous owned.
View the collections on the Microsoft Store on Xbox and the Microsoft Store on Windows in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Visitors can find Indigenous community picks at any time by searching within the Stores for “Indigenous” and related terms. Content is subject to availability by country.
Tune In
Xbox Plays will Feature Indigenous Streamers
In celebration of International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, Xbox Plays will be spotlighting streamers and creators from the Indigenous community during the week of August 8th. Follow us on our Xbox Twitch Channel and don’t miss any of the action!
Tuesday, August 9 at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) – Chief Sweet
Wednesday, August 10 at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) – BloodieKnux
Thursday, August 11 at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) – Gunade
Thursday, August 11 at 3:30 p.m. (PDT) – Cuzb0T
Friday, August 12 at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) – Hiosik
Xbox Honors International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with New Gamerpic, Profile Themes, and Avatar Items!
In partnership with the Indigenous artists we worked with to bring you custom Xbox spheres, we’re introducing new gamerpics, profile themes, and avatar items throughout the month of August! The gamerpic and profile theme will be available on console and the Xbox PC app. Get your avatar items here.
Learn more about all that Xbox is doing to engage our communities at the Xbox Community Hub.
Elliott Hsu, a principal hardware designer, created the Surface Pride Type Cover. His inspirational prompt came from Fedorov, who introduced Hsu to the flags of the many LGBTQIA+ communities that span many gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual and romantic orientations. And every year, they and the teams they worked with found that more people resonated with the design.
“We love the rainbow flag. I think it’s fantastic,” says Fedorov, who, along with others working on the design, wanted to focus on the idea of intersectionality coming together across communities. “At the same time, we need to understand the community is not a monolith. Everybody’s experience is different and there are many communities under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.”
Every year, Hsu and Fedorov wanted to challenge themselves and the teams working on Pride products (such as the Surface Skins that shipped in 2020) to make the designs more meaningful and keep the momentum going.
“We wanted a way to show our commitment through a Microsoft product and use our design skill set to build it,” Hsu says. “It was a very creative project that speaks to a lot of people.”
Eventually, this design would lead to the Pride controller, a project that spoke to people all over the company, drawing in hundreds who helped develop, fine-tune and bring it to the public – a monumental effort with many moving parts over the years.
“The goal here was to make the gaming world a more inclusive space and Pride was an opportunity to take a good step in that direction,” Ruiz says.
In 2021, with the pandemic still affecting the supply chain and many other constraints, this collective decided to put the flags (at the time, 18) on an Xbox Wireless Controller – an idea that had been percolating since 2019. Knowing they couldn’t mass produce under the conditions of the time, they created a limited-edition controller they wouldn’t sell, but sent to about 100 players and creators in the LGBTQIA+ community.
The reaction was unexpected – people loved it but were unhappy they weren’t able to buy their own controllers, lighting up social media with both praise and dismay. This reaction ended up proving the internal case for a wider audience, prompting more conversations with engineering and marketing teams who committed to the project. These and the other teams working on the controller were invigorated by the amount of attention the prototype got, and how people wanted more. June 2022 became the goal for the Pride controller’s grand entrance and availability. This would give the teams enough time to develop the design, as it’s usually a one- to two-year process to produce a custom controller (which includes tests and trials as well as a myriad of color adjustments).
“While some fans were super disappointed that they couldn’t purchase the Pride controller, the creators who actually received the controllers were super stoked,” Ruiz says. “They were really overjoyed to be recognized in their communities. So our biggest takeaway at that point in time was that the gaming community had an appetite for a Pride controller that they could purchase.”
July 2022’s Xbox Ambassador of the Month itsMikeytho shows off their Xbox Pride controller.
Jen Nichol, a senior business development and partnerships program manager at Xbox, was part of the collective effort that drove the proposal and strategy to bring the Pride controller to Xbox Design Lab. She was also embedded in the Xbox community (through her previous work with Microsoft Mixer and as head of community management for Xbox Studios) and part of the LGBTQIA+ community, both as an ally and as a parent to a daughter who identifies as trans.
“My understanding and connection to that community is personal. It’s my family. It’s my people. So it wasn’t hard to know how important it was,” she says. “Through gaming, you build really strong relationships that last years with people on the other side of the world. It’s community. And there’s no way you can embrace community without embracing everyone and acknowledging that people have value.”
For her and the rest of the team, this project was a love letter to the community; a way to say, “We see you and we want you here.” She also forged a path to give back to that community. To add to the ways Microsoft is supporting LGBTQIA+ communities, the teams made upfront charitable contributions totaling $170,000 to multiple nonprofits supporting these communities.
“It would make sure that we’re doing this in a way that shows actual support – not just words – and that we’re donating whether or not we sell them,” Nichol says. “We all agreed that it’s better to do it this way than not do it at all, because it’s important that positive, real-world change happens.”
While the Surface Type Cover and Skins were flat, the controller’s 3D shape proved much more challenging from a design perspective – especially when the “+” part of the community was so massive – and the team wanted to continue expanding its representation.
“What you’re designing here impacts somebody who can see themselves represented on a product,” says Hsu, who had experience designing previous custom controllers, such as the one tied to “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and the Elite Series 2. “You have to fit every flag in there and still make it look like a flag. It’s tricky having 34 elements. We usually try to reduce elements in design.”
But everyone on this project agreed: the controller needed to maximize inclusion through those flags.
“Every little thing matters to increase acceptance and inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ communities. We know that visibility matters, representation matters,” Fedorov says. “When people see their flag represented, it changes lives. We have 34 flags and some of them are not seen often, they’re not mainstream.”
The teams kept working on it, kept balancing and recalibrating. Hsu and other designers made sure every flag fit and still looked like a flag. Fedorov says the design’s intent is to show many communities (to try to give equitable treatment) and to drive attention to those who are often most marginalized. The end result exemplifies the intersectionality within the community and across communities, while at the same time creating a sense of unity, of people coming together across groups.
