Dontnod, the French indie developer behind titles like Life Is Strange, revealed its latest title at X019 and this narrative adventure looks to be groundbreaking.
Unleashed with all the usual fanfare of a big game announcement, this title follows on from Dontnod’s history of brilliant character-driven stories with a tale set in small-town Alaska. Two twins, Tyler and Alyson Ronan, are consumed by a mystery that stretches as far back as their childhood. Like much of Dontnod’s titles, this unassuming sounding setting is sure to turn out to be something special. The narrative builds on their remarkable bond, revealing memories of a loving but troubled childhood.
Leading the Industry
As the game unfolds, revealing the twin’s remarkable bond and a troubled childhood, the identity of the leads is likely to play a pivotal role and Dontnod has confirmed that Tyler is a transgender character. This is especially unusual in video games, and Dontnod worked alongside GLAAD, an advocacy group supporting a range of gender identity issues to ensure that Tyler acts as a genuine representation of the trans experience. Guillaume, Game Director at Dontnod, expressed the studio’s own response to this development during the reveal
“we are especially grateful to Microsoft for its full support, openness, and help regarding Tyler’s identity and character, as a transgender man.”
Tell Me Why will release on Xbox One, Windows 10 PC and Steam, as well as with Xbox Game Pass with the entire season available by summer 2020. Three chapters of the title will allow players to work their way through this adventure in regular updates.
This is possibly the very first time that we’ve seen a playable transgender character in any video game and makes a huge difference to trans visibility, especially during this year’s Trans Awareness Week. You can check out a glimpse of Tell Me Why in the trailer above or head over to the official website for more details. Keep it Gamespace for more on X019 soon.
