To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Xbox announced a mentorship initiative aimed at increasing the number of women working in the games industry by pairing established professionals with emerging talent through one-on-one coaching sessions to support career development.
Scope and rollout
The program will initially operate in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and South Korea. Xbox said additional countries and further details will be revealed throughout March.
Goals and expectations
Louise O’Connor, executive producer at Rare, described the effort on Xbox’s official blog, saying the company hopes the program will “generate significant engagement with tangible, purposeful actions to help advance career development in the games industry.”
Industry context and representation data
Xbox cited industry figures illustrating a gender gap: according to the ESA, 45% of players identify as women, while globally only 30% of videogame developers identify as women. Within Xbox, women make up more than half of the team, and across Microsoft women represent 29.7% of the company’s core global workforce.
Events and additional activities in March
Xbox Game Studios will host a panel of women technology leaders at the Game Developers Conference on March 23–24. Speakers will include Helen Chiang, corporate vice president for the Minecraft franchise; Kim Swift, senior director of Cloud Gaming at Xbox Game Studios Publishing; and Bonnie Ross, head of studio at 343 Industries. They will discuss their career paths, inclusive hiring, and community support.
Throughout March, the Xbox platform will also feature stories highlighting female representation in games from members of the Xbox Ambassadors community. On March 26, the fifth Gears 5 Women’s Tournament will take place, featuring 32 of the top female Gears 5 teams competing for US$5,000 in prizes (approximately R$25,000).
