Source:
343
Industries
/
HALO
Infinite
It’s
Black
History
Month,
which
means
companies
are
doing
their
best
to
show
how
inclusive
and
down
for
the
Black
cause
they
truly
are.
Halo
Infinite
studio
343
Industries’
attempt
to
celebrate
BHM
is
getting
clowned
on
social
media.
Don’t
get
it
twisted;
we
know
there
was
goodwill
in
343
Industries’
attempt
to
celebrate
Black
History
Month
by
introducing
armor
shaders
to
commemorate
the
annual
celebration
of
Black
excellence.
But,
man,
we
understand
why
the
jokes
are
flying
across
the
timeline.
Gamers
can
now
add
bold
green,
gold,
and
maroon
colors,
typically
associated
with
African
country
flags,
plus
kente
cloth,
the
West
African
traditional
textile
as
a
pattern
on
their
Spartan
armor.
To
announce
the
new
Black
History
Month-inspired
shaders,
the
Halo
account
on
X,
formerly
Twitter,
dropped
a
photo
of
a
Spartan
with
all
the
custom
shaders,
which
did
not
land
well.
Immediately,
comparisons
to
A-Train,
the
only
Black
superhero
on
The
Seven
in
the
hit
Amazon
Prime
series,
The
Boys,
hit
timelines.
In
that
particular
episode,
Jessie
T.
Usher’s
character
got
an
African-themed
super
suit
to
gain
the
approval
of
Black
people,
but
343
Industries’
attempt
was
nowhere
near
as
egregious
in
terms
of
pandering.
However,
you
still
can’t
unsee
it,
especially
when
you
compare
A-Train’s
costume.
The
Verge’s
Ash
Parrish
confirmed
that
with
her
well-timed
response
to
the
Halo
account
tweet.
Xbox’s
Other
BLM-Inspired
Initiatives
The
announcement
of
the
Black
History
Month-inspired
Halo
Infinite
shaders
was
just
a
small
part
of
a
more
significant
initiative
that
Xbox
announced
to
celebrate
BHM.
The
Microsoft-owned
company
announced
a
partnership
with
the
Gameheads
development
program
and
other
amazing
Black
History
Month
initiatives.
-
Announcing
a
partnership
with Gameheads to
showcase
games
created
by
students
(ages
11-25)
who
have
gone
through
Gameheads’
game
development
program. Gameheads
is
a California-based
non-profit
that
uses
game
design
and
development
to
engage,
prepare
and
train
low-income
youth
and
youth
of
color
for
careers
in
the
video
games
and
technology
industry. Check
out
the
games,
and
how
you
can
play
them here.-
As
part
of
the
partnership,
Xbox
also
donated
to
Gameheads
to
support
their
commitment
to
diversifying
the
pipeline
in
the
gaming
industry
&
empowering
the
next
generation
of
game
developers.
-
-
Sharing
a
collection
of
games
available
on
Xbox,
made
for
and
by
the
Black
community, including
spotlighting
Black
game
developers
from
the
ID@Xbox
Developer
Acceleration
Program
who,
with
Xbox’s
support,
are
increasing
Black
representation
and
elevating
underrepresented
voices
in
the
games
they
create.
-
Encouraging
players
to
donate
Microsoft
Rewards
points
to
both
Gameheads
and/or Cxmmunity. -
Sharing
Xbox
Ambassador
stories,
including
tips
they
have
for
how
to
stay
safe
when
gaming,
and
more!
By
heading
here,
you
can
learn
more
about
how
Xbox
and
Gamesheads
are
working
together
to
amplify
Black
voices
in
the
gaming
industry.
Still,
Xbox,
you
are
going
to
get
these
jokes.
You
can
see
more
reactions
to
the
Blackety,
Black
Spartan
armor
in
the
gallery
below.
