Global Pride Hosts a Joyous Celebration Inside Animal Crossing

With Pride Month in full swing, but many IRL parades and events canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, LGBTQ+ celebrations are migrating online in a big way.

Sundry organizations and brands have gone this route, and now Global Pride is raising the rainbow flag of equality and respect inside the enormously popular Animal Crossing game on the Nintendo Switch platform.

We Are Social Singapore developed the multifaceted initiative. Launched last week and teased in the clip below, #GlobalPrideCrossing seeks to provide a safe place for LGBTQ+ folks of all genders, orientations, colors and ethnicities to celebrate online.

Elements include customizable Pride Islands, created with Swipe Back, featuring rainbow fashions for Animal Crossing avatars, message boards, catwalks and space for marches. On June 27, Twitch creators including ShubbleYT, AndrewArcade, ZoeTwoDots and Loveabilities will livestream Animal Crossing sessions and host special activities.

“We all knew that this year’s Pride celebrations were never going to be the same, with communities all over the world still in various stages of lockdown,” says Andrew Baker, co-president of InterPride, which directs Global Pride along with the European Pride Organizers Association and other groups. “So when We Are Social Singapore approached us with the idea to create a virtual space, using a platform already popular within the LGBTQ+ community, where people could safely come together to express and celebrate their identities, we jumped at the chance.”

Gamers can make donations via fundraising tool Tiltify to boost LGBTQ+ causes and diverse communities impacted by Covid-19. #GlobalPrideCrossing also plans to support Black Lives Matter by resharing relevant content.

“With the cancellation of physical Pride events around the world, we wanted to provide a way for people to participate in celebrations wherever they are,” We Are Social innovations director Arnaud Robin tells Muse. “Pride is an important event for many—often it gives hope and a sense of community and belonging.”

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons was already a creative outlet for the LGBTQ+ community, ​so we used this game to give people the tools to freely express themselves even further and get involved, particularly those who have never been able to join in a Pride celebration for whatever reason,” he says.

CREDITS

We Are Social Singapore
Christina Chong, Managing Director
Craig Howie, Executive Creative Director
Ian Jahng, Creative Director
Arnaud Robin, Innovation Director
Alessio Laudato, Senior Art Director
Jeremy Lim, Copywriter
Boone Wong, Head of Copy
Benn Tan, Art Director
Erasmus Ess William, Head of Video Production
YouQuan Fu, Senior Media Artist
Ernie Sulastri, Motion Graphics Artist
Clio Goh, Producer
Werner Lucksch, Planning Director
Melantha Tan, Strategist
Benjamin Oi, Associate Account Director
Denicia Lew, Senior Account Executive
Javern Chua, Account Management Intern

InterPride
Andrew Baker, Co-President

European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA)
Steve Taylor, Communications Director

Swipe Back
Max Vedel, Creative Director
Nikhil Roy, Creative Director
Fabrice Starzinskas, Producer
Lucile Araud, Art Director