Humble’s 2025 Power Up Pride Bundle Champions Queer Game Development

In June 2025, Humble Bundle unveiled its annual Power Up Pride collection, a curated package of LGBTQ-inclusive games, software, and digital zines, with proceeds benefiting LGBTQ creators and organizations. This initiative, coinciding with Pride Month celebrations, is not only a showcase of queer talent in gaming but also a financial lifeline for independent studios and creators whose work often falls outside mainstream publishing channels.

A Bundle With Purpose

The Power Up Pride Bundle stands out for its explicit commitment to LGBTQ+ visibility, featuring titles that explore queer relationships, identities, and experiences. Among the highlights is Haven, a GLAAD Media Award-nominated cooperative adventure game that centers on the love story between two protagonists escaping to a mysterious planet, with the option for same-gender or gender-diverse pairings. In addition to Haven, the bundle includes works from the Queer Games Bundle collective, a grassroots initiative that annually curates hundreds of indie games, interactive fiction, and digital art projects by LGBTQ+ creators.

The bundle is available for a minimum contribution of $13, with buyers encouraged to pay more to further support Xperience Studios, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding, mentoring, and promoting BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ game developers.

Impact on Queer Representation in Gaming

Industry advocates have noted that the Power Up Pride Bundle is more than a seasonal gesture; it’s a tangible step toward increased visibility and normalization of LGBTQ+ identities in interactive media. By featuring games that allow for authentic queer narratives—whether through explicitly LGBTQ protagonists, inclusive relationship options, or the incorporation of gender diversity—the bundle directly challenges the historic marginalization of queer stories in mainstream game publishing.

This year’s bundle is launching amid a broader conversation within the gaming community about the importance of diverse creators and representation. According to GLAAD, initiatives like the Power Up Pride Bundle help “normalize LGBTQ-inclusive storytelling in games and create safer spaces for LGBTQ players and creators”. The direct financial support for queer developers is also a critical component, addressing systemic barriers to entry and sustainability in the industry.

Industry Context: Pride Events and Visibility Under Pressure

The release of the Power Up Pride Bundle comes at a time when some major publishers and developers have reportedly scaled back or refrained from hosting Pride events in 2025, citing concerns over online backlash and “cancellation” by certain segments of the gaming community. This has placed even greater emphasis on grassroots and community-driven initiatives as essential vehicles for LGBTQ+ visibility and support.

In contrast to this climate of caution among larger studios, the Power Up Pride Bundle’s success underscores the demand for queer-centered content and the willingness of consumers to support inclusive media directly. The bundle’s model—allowing consumers to choose their price and allocate funds to creators and advocacy organizations—demonstrates a sustainable pathway for independent queer games to find audiences and financial backing.

Community Response and Looking Forward

Feedback from both the LGBTQ+ gaming community and industry observers has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the bundle for its diverse content and its direct impact on queer creators. On social media, players and developers alike have highlighted the importance of seeing their identities reflected in the stories and mechanics of the games they play and make.

The Power Up Pride Bundle’s success also points to a growing recognition within the broader gaming industry that LGBTQ+ representation is not a niche concern but an integral part of the evolving narrative landscape. As more players and developers advocate for inclusive storytelling, initiatives like this bundle are proving crucial in sustaining momentum and resisting pressures to sideline queer voices.

For those interested in supporting the Power Up Pride Bundle, it remains available throughout June, with an upcoming Queer Games Bundle set to launch later in the month. Proceeds from both initiatives go directly to the LGBTQ+ creators behind the featured works, ensuring that queer voices continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment.