The growing complexity of contemporary sociopolitical environments has heightened the salience of Corporate Sociopolitical Activism (CSA), which has traditionally taken the form of public statements on sociopolitical issues unrelated to core business operations. Firms also, however, increasingly embed sociopolitical commitments—most notably to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)—into their products themselves. This study examines how consumers respond to inclusive product design, or design that promotes the visibility, participation, or access of underrepresented groups through a product’s content or affordances. Drawing on reactance theory and research on authenticity, we theorize that inclusive product design reduces consumer appeal through two mechanisms: perceived imposition and authenticity concerns. Using data on the population of 10,193 video games reviewed on Metacritic from 2014–2022, a period marked by heightened public attention to social equity, we find support for our account. On average, games featuring inclusive design receive lower consumer ratings. However, this effect is mitigated for games in genres that afford players autonomy, which may reduce perceived imposition. By contrast, the effect is exacerbated when games include monetization features or lack narratives, which may signal an opportunistic or superficial commitment to equity, heightening authenticity concerns.
