Xbox Joins Recent Gaming Accessibility Initiative As Founding Member

Microsoft (along with Team Xbox) is likely to join the new “Accessible Games Initiative” as a founding member, alongside Electronic Arts, Google, Nintendo of America, and Ubisoft.

This new “cross-industry initiative,” spearheaded by the Entertainment Software Association in the US, aims to provide clarity on accessibility features in video games. This initiative will kick off with 24 “tags” – all guided by “specific criteria”.

Examples of these tags include “simple text, large and readable subtitles, audio-described menus, control inversion, and the ability to save at any time”. Here’s a glimpse of what Xbox had to say regarding this new initiative:

At Xbox, our mission is to enable as many players as possible to enjoy the games they love, with the people they choose, wherever they are, in a manner that suits them. This includes over 429 million gamers with some form of disability, who may rely on various accessibility devices – such as the recently launched Xbox Adaptive Controller – and features to get the best experience from their gaming.

We are excited to join the Accessible Games Initiative and are eager to share our years of insights from our Xbox Game Accessibility Feature Tags to help establish these new tags, alongside our collaborators. As with any advancements that allow more individuals to play, we are pleased to see additional steps being taken toward inclusion and improved standardization of accessibility in gaming. We hope this cooperative venture across multiple gaming firms highlights the power of accessibility to unite people, create joy, and build community within the industry.

Similarly, we aspire for the Accessible Games Initiative to inspire game developers not only to implement these tags for inclusion but also to encourage them to consider integrating more accessibility into their games as a result.

The long-term vision is to attach the Accessible Games Initiative tags to game product information and on “digital marketplaces, product pages, or digital catalogs” – helping to provide gamers (and other consumers) with clear information about accessibility features before making a purchase.

Other companies that have already committed to this initiative include Amazon Games, Riot Games, Square Enix, and Warner Bros. Games.

As noted by Xbox, this follows its initiatives in November 2021 when it introduced its new accessibility feature tags:

We will keep you informed of any significant updates.