Developer The Coalition has made a huge step towards inclusivity and representation with the recently-released Gears 5, as players have discovered a large collection of LGBTQ+ banners to its multiplayer mode.
There are no less than 19 pride banners available in the game right now, with your banner of choice displayed behind your character if you've earned a commendation after a multiplayer match. Naturally, this gives members of the LGBTQ+ community a chance to proudly share their identity in a way that few, if any, big AAA multiplayer titles ever have.
The 19 banners on offer are, wisely, available for free rather than hidden behind a pay wall, and include representations of intersex, polysexual, nonbinary, bisexual, and genderfluid.
Advert
Twitter user @ashiinu first pointed out the additions to the game on Twitter, and it's safe to say that people are thrilled that a game as huge as Gears 5 has made the effort to build a more inclusive and welcoming community.
HEY GEARS HAS FUCKING PRIDE FLAGS IN GAME WHAT pic.twitter.com/vRhDSm3Xzy
- akii! (@ashiinu) September" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/ashiinu/status/116956067988536... 5, 2019
Of course, how welcoming the community really is comes down to the players - but hopefully these banners are a first step towards building a multiplayer scene where everyone feels represented.
Advert
I don't think I ever would have expected this from a franchise that has historically starred uber-muscular super macho men, but between the addition of the banners and the character of Kate Diaz in the leading role for the Gears 5 campaign, The Coalition is making all the right moves.
There's bound to be that usual corner of the internet that decides these entirely optional flags are a way of Gears 5 forcing some kind of agenda down our throats, of course, but we're better off just letting them shout themselves hoarse.
Gears 5 is available on Xbox Live Game Pass Ultimate from today (September 6), and comes to Xbox One and PC for those who aren't subscribed to Ultimate on September 10.
Advert
In other Gears 5 news, The Coalition has been busy talking up the game's campaign. They've suggested that it's by far the biggest we've ever seen from the franchise, with open world style levels that are up to 50 times larger than anything else we've had in a Gears game before.
In our own review, which you can see above, we said that Gears 5 was a strong evolution of the series, and features arguably its strongest campaign in years.
Featured Image Credit: MicrosoftTopics: Gears of War