Tell Me Why, a new game revealed today at the Xbox X019 celebration in London, promises to set a new standard for transgender representation in gaming. This gripping narrative adventure from DONTNOD Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios will be the first game from a major studio to feature a playable transgender lead character. Check out the trailer below.

Tell Me Why tells the story of Tyler Ronan – a young transgender man – and his identical twin sister Alyson as they uncover mysteries surrounding their loving but troubled childhood in small-town Alaska. Both characters will be playable across the game’s three chapters, which will all be released in the summer of 2020.

Nick Adams, GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Representation, has worked alongside DONTNOD and Xbox Game Studios from early in the game’s development to bring this authentic trans narrative to life. Through consultation in story, dialogue, character design, environmental design, and voice casting, GLAAD and the game’s creators have taken care to ensure that Tyler is a genuine, multi-dimensional character, avoiding the many harmful transgender stereotypes and tropes of the past. Tyler is voiced by out trans actor August Black.

In a statement released by Microsoft today, Nick Adams said, “Microsoft and DONTNOD have approached Tyler with a real commitment to authenticity. Tyler is a fully-realized, endearing character, whose story is not reduced to simplistic trans tropes. Creating a playable lead trans character – and taking such care to get it right – raises the bar for future LGBTQ inclusion in gaming.”

GLAAD will have more to share closer to the release of the game next summer, but are proud to celebrate this announcement. Xbox Game Studios, DONTNOD Entertainment, and GLAAD are excited for players to learn more about Tyler’s story, and we trust that players (both transgender and cisgender) will grow to love Tyler and Alyson as much as we do