Trans dev praises Guardians of the Galaxy team for crediting her correctly
Trans developer Cloé Veilleux previously worked at Eidos-Montréal and on Guardians of the Galaxy for three years and was promoted to the role of Technical Level Design Director whilst there. She departed from her work just a year before the game was released.
In a tweet from her Twitter account, Veilleux spoke out about how her past team had not only kept her name in the credits, despite the fact she’d left a year before, but that they used her new name instead of her deadname. She was also humbled that they kept her credited as the ‘Technical Level Design Director’ rather than Additional Thanks, something which would have been expected following the industry’s standards.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Veilleux expressed her happiness at Eidos-Montreal’s decision: “it makes me feel like there was a conscious decision to keep my name in that role, and I do not know who I have to thank for this. I expected little, and was given a lot more recognition. It certainly made me happy to see that.”
Veilleux, now working at Relic, also told Eurogamer that she legally changed her name 10 days before leaving her role – meaning that the majority of her time working on Guardians of the Galaxy she was not out fully as a trans woman – not even to herself – and so was known mostly by her deadname. “Seeing my name there in this screenshot was an unexpected surprise.”
Veilleux tells the publication that she has nothing but “good things” to say about the industry. During her time working with Eidos-Montreal, she first had to come out to herself, and then the whole studio after “agreeing on a plan with HR.”
“I have been supported by everyone from the start, and I began my transition there and then, pretty much bringing everyone with me on this journey (rather than wait a year or two before changing my presentation).” Veilleux told Eurogamer. “It couldn’t have been easy for everyone, and I know I had many allies who took my defense when I was off-camera. One of the benefits of forming meaningful relationships with your coworkers.”
Guardians of the Galaxy is available to play now on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5
About The Author
