Stumble Guys launches Disability Pride Month campaign with SpecialEffect

Scopely’s multiplayer party game Stumble Guys has launched a charity campaign called Play for Change in partnership with SpecialEffect, a UK-based charity that helps people with physical disabilities play video games through adapted controllers and assistive technology. Running from July 23 to July 30, the campaign centers on Axel, Stumble Guys’ first playable skin depicting a character who uses a wheelchair. All proceeds from Axel skin purchases made during the campaign window will be donated to SpecialEffect, according to a press release. The initiative coincides with Disability Pride Month, observed each July to recognize the identities and contributions of people with disabilities. Axel’s creation traces back to a player named Fayçal, who asked the Stumble Guys team earlier this year about disability representation in the game. That question led the studio to develop Axel as the game’s first wheelchair-using character. Scopely detailed Fayçal’s story in a blog post published earlier this year. “What started with one player’s voice can now become something even bigger — with the support of our entire community,” the Stumble Guys team said in the announcement. SpecialEffect was founded in 2007 by Mick Donegan, a former teacher who specialized in assistive technology and continues to lead the charity today. Based in Oxfordshire, England, the organization works with developers to build specialized game control devices and improve game accessibility more broadly, using inputs from any part of the body capable of movement, including small toe movements or a player’s gaze. Since its founding, the charity has expanded to include a free eye-controlled interface for Minecraft and a suite of browser-based games designed for players who can only control input through eye movement, letting people with severe physical disabilities compete against others around the world in games like chess and checkers. Donegan received an MBE in 2022 for his contributions to assistive technology, and the organization was honored with a BAFTA in 2024. Stumble Guys is a physics-based party knockout game in which players navigate obstacle courses and elimination-style challenges. Since launching, the game has built a large global player base and features more than 1,000 cosmetic skins that let players customize their in-game appearance — a system Scopely says helps players see more of themselves reflected on screen. Players interested in supporting the campaign can purchase the Axel Skin through the in-game Stumble Guys Shop during the July 23–30 window. Scopely framed the campaign as an extension of the studio’s broader approach to community-driven development, saying the Stumble Guys team has consistently looked to player feedback to help shape the game’s direction. Through Play for Change, the studio said it hopes to both honor Fayçal’s influence on the game and support SpecialEffect’s mission of expanding access to gaming for people with physical disabilities. The post Stumble Guys launches Disability Pride Month campaign with SpecialEffect appeared first on GamesBeat.

Jul 25, 2026 - 01:27

Stumble Guys launches Disability Pride Month campaign with SpecialEffect

Scopely’s multiplayer party game Stumble Guys has launched a charity campaign called Play for Change in partnership with SpecialEffect, a UK-based charity that helps people with physical disabilities play video games through adapted controllers and assistive technology.

Running from July 23 to July 30, the campaign centers on Axel, Stumble Guys’ first playable skin depicting a character who uses a wheelchair. All proceeds from Axel skin purchases made during the campaign window will be donated to SpecialEffect, according to a press release.

The initiative coincides with Disability Pride Month, observed each July to recognize the identities and contributions of people with disabilities.

Axel’s creation traces back to a player named Fayçal, who asked the Stumble Guys team earlier this year about disability representation in the game. That question led the studio to develop Axel as the game’s first wheelchair-using character. Scopely detailed Fayçal’s story in a blog post published earlier this year.

“What started with one player’s voice can now become something even bigger — with the support of our entire community,” the Stumble Guys team said in the announcement.

SpecialEffect was founded in 2007 by Mick Donegan, a former teacher who specialized in assistive technology and continues to lead the charity today. Based in Oxfordshire, England, the organization works with developers to build specialized game control devices and improve game accessibility more broadly, using inputs from any part of the body capable of movement, including small toe movements or a player’s gaze. Since its founding, the charity has expanded to include a free eye-controlled interface for Minecraft and a suite of browser-based games designed for players who can only control input through eye movement, letting people with severe physical disabilities compete against others around the world in games like chess and checkers. Donegan received an MBE in 2022 for his contributions to assistive technology, and the organization was honored with a BAFTA in 2024.

Stumble Guys is a physics-based party knockout game in which players navigate obstacle courses and elimination-style challenges. Since launching, the game has built a large global player base and features more than 1,000 cosmetic skins that let players customize their in-game appearance — a system Scopely says helps players see more of themselves reflected on screen.

Players interested in supporting the campaign can purchase the Axel Skin through the in-game Stumble Guys Shop during the July 23–30 window.

Scopely framed the campaign as an extension of the studio’s broader approach to community-driven development, saying the Stumble Guys team has consistently looked to player feedback to help shape the game’s direction. Through Play for Change, the studio said it hopes to both honor Fayçal’s influence on the game and support SpecialEffect’s mission of expanding access to gaming for people with physical disabilities.

The post Stumble Guys launches Disability Pride Month campaign with SpecialEffect appeared first on GamesBeat.

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