The collaboration gave rise to the character of Tyler Ronan, a transgender man who works with his twin sister Alyson to unearth the mysteries about their traumatic youth. In developing this particular endeavor, the crew at Dontnod consulted with organizations like GLAAD to ensure the project culminated in an authentic trans narrative. Tell Me Why, of course, counts as no exception. Since the advent of Life is Strange in 2015, the French studio has built a reputation for tackling a variety of social issues and topics in its interactive adventures.

Xbox Game Studios published the story-driven experience, which became the first major AAA game to star a trans character in a leading, playable role. Dontnod launched Tell Me Why in the summer of 2020 to predominantly favorable reviews across the board. To hear from some of the many people whose lived experiences informed Tyler’s character, please watch our interview Tell Me Why – Approaching Representation.In honor of Pride Month, Life is Strange creator Dontnod Entertainment is allowing PC and Xbox players to download and own Tell Me Why at no extra cost. August’s personal experiences also inspired key moments and lines of dialogue. During recording sessions, August provided edits to the script if he felt a certain line or moment did not do justice to Tyler’s story, making him an invaluable part of the creative process. Importantly, August Black, Tyler’s voice actor, also made significant contributions to Tell Me Why’s dialogue. For over two years, Nick offered foundational guidance on story and character, consulted on casting, and reviewed scripts at all phases of production.

To ensure that Tyler’s character would resonate with a wide and diverse audience of trans people, the Tell Me Why team worked closely with two of GLAAD’s transgender staff: Nick Adams, Director of Transgender Representation and Blair Durkee, Special Consultant for Gaming.

Trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming staff at both DONTNOD and Xbox have made countless key creative contributions to Tell Me Why, including in character design, narrative and dialogue, building inclusive online spaces for the game, and much more.

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