Credit: Inside the MagicThe Walt Disney Company is hosting its biggest-ever Pride Month celebrations this year. Between the first-ever Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite and exclusive snacks & merchandise throughout the Disney Parks, there’s something for every LGBTQIA+ community member and ally. But the latest Pride announcement, free digital tee shirts for Disney Dreamlight Valley players, divided fans.
Created by Gameloft, Disney Dreamlight Valley delighted players when its early access debuted in September 2022. Through multiple updates, fans have stuck by the sandbox-style game that invites players into a world filled with their favorite Disney and Pixar characters!
On June 20, Disney Dreamlight Valley revealed that players could use eight codes to download free Pride flag-inspired tee shirts for their characters:
Show off your Pride in #DisneyDreamlightValley with a collection of free t-shirts! ✨ Claim in-game with codes available here: https://disneydreamlightvalley.com/news/Pride-2023
Show off your Pride in #DisneyDreamlightValley with a collection of free t-shirts! ✨ Claim in-game with codes available here: https://t.co/DcSQtfhybw pic.twitter.com/84uAiCu3Av
— Disney Dreamlight Valley (@DisneyDLV) June 20, 2023
Though many fans were excited about the new clothing option, some felt Disney catered to bigots by making the Pride shirts optional instead of an automatic update. @keifujimi wrote:
Ok, but why make them via code and not part of the core game?
Ok, but why make them via code and not part of the core game?
— Kei Fujimi (@keifujimi) June 20, 2023
Many took issue with the names of the shirts, which don’t correlate with their respective flags. For example, the transgender Pride flag is called “bright,” and the bisexual Pride flag is “illuminate.” From @pika_pai:
Love the pride collection but it’s giving secret pride 🤷 just give them the names of the associated flag💕 no need to hide what we are🌈
Love the pride collection but it's giving secret pride 🤷 just give them the names of the associated flag💕 no need to hide what we are🌈
— pikapie2883 (@pika_pai) June 20, 2023
@Cptnthrax agreed:
I really wish y’all had gone all in with the support and actually named them their correct names. I’m not “Dazzle-Shine”.
I really wish y'all had gone all in with the support and actually named them their correct names. I'm not "Dazzle-Shine".
— My Fair They-dy 🩷🩶🖤💜💙 (@Cptnthrax) June 20, 2023
Others asked for more Pride content, arguing that the tee shirts weren’t enough. From @fabbigaming:
Thankyou… but I was truly praying for a banner or pride balloons? A T-shirt is a something you could make yourself?
Thankyou… but I was truly praying for a banner or pride balloons? A T-shirt is a something you could make yourself?
— FabbiGaming ‘Frajer’ (@fabbigaming) June 20, 2023
But the reaction wasn’t all negative. Hundreds of LGBTQIA+ Disney fans and allies expressed gratitude for the in-game Pride gear. Some shared in-game screenshots of their characters decked out. @LimeGhosty wrote:
I love them all so much! Thank you! <3
I love them all so much! Thank you! <3 pic.twitter.com/RUb0C8qsOf
— 🌸LimeGhosty🌸 (@LimeGhosty) June 21, 2023
Disney Dreamlight Valley is still in early access but available on Steam (for PC & Mac), the Nintendo e-Shop (Nintendo Switch), the Playstation store, and the Xbox Game Store/Xbox Game Pass. The game will be free to download when fully released, with optional in-game purchases.
Should Disney Dreamlight Valley have created a better Pride Month celebration? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note: Opinions in this article belong to the respective players and do not necessarily reflect Inside the Magic’s views on Disney Dreamlight Valley’s operations.