Mojang & Pride

The seed for Pride was planted as early as in the late 1960s. Since then, it has sprouted into a worldwide celebration of diversity and the LGBTQIA+ community, typically in the form of a grand parade. As the name might suggest, its goal is to validate and instill feelings of pride in members of the LGBTQIA+ community, who are too often victims of social stigma and repression. Pride aims to promote equality, acceptance, and love for all individuals – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In short: it’s a space where everyone can express and celebrate their true selves. 

For many at Mojang Studios, this recurring event is a given. We're blessed with passionate employees who participate in parades every year together with their families, bringing all the joy, color, and glitter they can muster. Our studio in Redmond typically celebrates Pride at the Seattle Pride in late June, while our Stockholm studio enjoys dancing through the streets in July or August, when Stockholm Pride is held.  

Our teams do more than walk the walk – they dance the walk with pomp and circumstance! For example, in 2023, the brilliant artist Ballongprinsessan (you guessed right, it means ‘Balloon Princess’ in Swedish) created a giant Ender Dragon that was carried by our many team members throughout the streets of Stockholm.  

“Marching in the Seattle Pride Parade was an amazing experience,” says Paul Schierman, Software Engineer, and co-lead of the Mojang Studios Rainbow Mob Employee Resource Group*. “Feeling the energy of the crowd surge each time we were recognized was powerful and truly unique. Being able to see the outpouring of positivity and love from every kind of person was inspiring!” 

Joel Alveroth, People Operations Specialist, shares Paul’s enthusiasm. 

“It is such a joy to celebrate pride; doing something important at the same time as you are having such a great time! To me that’s one of the things that make Pride so special – it's the combination of the celebration, the glitter, bright colors and joyful music and dance and the more serious note – with which we emphasize everyone's right to fully be themselves, express their love and show PRIDE!  

At Mojang Studios, we believe in a better world, and there’s no better world than one where you can be you. Pride is one step towards that goal, and we proudly support organizations that work for the empowerment of LGBTQIA+. This year, we celebrated an event by ItGetsBetter, together with a friendly group of Minecraft creators!

Whether you want to cover yourself in rainbow glitter, read up on LGBTQIA+ history, or just quietly reflect, there’s plenty of reasons to celebrate the event, every year. 

*ERG: Through nine Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), employees connect, find and provide critical support, nurture community, and help activate diversity and inclusion at Microsoft. To learn more about the ERGs at Microsoft, visit our page on diversity.