Major gaming companies, including Microsoft, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts, have launched the Accessible Games Initiative, a new effort to help players easily identify accessibility features in games. Managed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the initiative introduces 24 standardized accessibility tags that will appear on participating game storefronts and product pages.
These tags cover essential features such as subtitles, input remapping, text-to-speech, and narrated menus, providing clear and consistent information to players with disability. Companies like Sony, Ubisoft, Amazon Games, and Riot Games have also joined the initiative, making it a cross-industry effort.
The new tags aim to replace or complement existing accessibility labels. For example, Microsoft will integrate them into its Xbox Game Accessibility Feature tags. However, implementation timelines will vary by company.
This move addresses a long-standing gap in the industry, where players have often relied on third-party sites like ‘Can I Play That?’ to assess a game’s accessibility. With standardised tags, finding accessible games should become much easier.
For more information, please read gameinformer’s article on accessible gaming tags.