The new Dontnod Entertainment, creators of Life is Strange, is starring a trans man and has the advice of an LGBTQ organization.
The new Xbox Game Studios is called Tell me Why and is developed by the French studio Dontnod Entertainmnet, parents of Life is Strange, Vampyr and the future Twin Mirror. This new narrative story, composed of several chapters, was announced during the X019. The game will be starring a character who identifies as trans.
To build Tyler Ronan, the protagonist, Florent Guillaume and Joseph State, director of Tell me Why and creative director on Xbox, respectively, have worked alongside GLAAD, an LGBTQ organization that has helped to capture an authentic representation of the collective, while They have struggled not to fall into the usual clichés.
A history lesson
“One of the things that GLAAD did and that was very helpful was that they gave us a history lesson, not only in video games, but in the media in general, the good and the bad,” Staten comments in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter . "It has been really important for all project members who understood the history of LGBTQ representation and transgender representation in video games to certify that we were doing everything possible to do it well."
Guillaume argues, on the other hand, that collaborating with the organization has helped them to understand the “hopes, fears and lives” of trans people. GLAAD was responsible for analyzing the script and advising on the development of the character. The goal is not to meet an agenda or design "archetypal characters," says its director, but rather to "develop characters and stories" because they believe in their value. " He defines Tyler as a young man with values, who has good and bad things: "That is what makes him human."
The search for the actors
At the beginning of the development they did not think of a trans protagonist, but rather it emerged a posteriori, although the concept of the twin brothers was present from the beginning. The actor who plays Tyler is August Black, a trans man, while Erica Lindbeck plays her sister Alyson. "The cast was a priority from day one," he emphasizes.
For Guillaume, it was necessary to hire an actor who was representative and authentic. "We not only chose a trans actor for dubbing in English, but we have worked hard to find people in localized languages." They also wanted people “strong and representative, no matter” in which part of the world the title is played.
Adams is convinced that “creating a trans main character will open the door to more LGBTQ inclusion in video games. Tell me Why is in development for Xbox One and PC (Windows 10 and Steam). It will be released in summer 2020, also on Xbox Game Pass.
