Celeste’s creator confirms Madeline is trans

Celeste creator Maddy Thorson has confirmed the game’s protagonist, Madeline, is a transgender woman.

The game – which is available to play on mobile via Xbox Game Pass for Android and Google Stadia – had already heavily hinted at this last year when an ending screen in the game’s final chapter included Gay Pride and Trans flags on Madeline’s desk, implying a possible queerness on her part.

Players led this to assume that Madeline was indeed queer, but there was never a full confirmation until Thorson wrote a blog post last week confirming it: “During Celeste’s development, I did not know that Madeline or myself were trans. During the Farewell DLC’s development, I began to form a hunch. Post-development, I now know that we both are.”

Thorson goes on to explain how they personally came to understand more about themself during the process of writing Madeline’s character: “When I wrote Celeste I sincerely still believed that I was cisgender, but I was nevertheless waist-deep in gender feelings (among other anxieties). When Madeline looks in the mirror and sees her other self; when she attempts to abandon her reflection, who then drags her down the mountain; when the two reconcile and merge to become stronger and more complete… that was all unknowingly written from a trans perspective.”

Thorson then talks a lot more about queerness in Celeste and clears up any possible questions about its inclusion in the game. If you have a spare ten minutes, I would really recommend that you check it out.

Celeste is available to play on Xbox Game Pass for Android and Google Stadia via cloud streaming, as well as on Nintendo Switch.