ESA launches a major accessibility initiative at GDC

The Entertainment Software Association introduced the Accessible Games Initiative to provide
players with information about accessibility features in video games.

Founding members Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America and Ubisoft are supporting the cross-industry effort to provide consumers with clear information about the accessibility features available in video games.

The Accessible Games Initiative was announced at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) by the ESA and representatives from the five founding member companies. It’s relatively rare for the game industry to pull together over a united cause, but accessibility has been on the radar for a while. Microsoft launched the Xbox Adaptive Controller for players with limited mobility in 2018. It also launched a superb Super Bowl commercial with the message, “When everybody plays, we all win.”

The primary purpose of the new Accessible Games Initiative is to help provide clear information about whether a specific video game has accessibility features and, if so, what those features are.

“Can you imagine how frustrated you would be to purchase a video game you are excited to play, only to find out you can’t,” Quinn said in the talk.

Aubrey Quinn, senior vice president of communications, said in an interview with GamesBeat that some players with challenges have quit player games out of frustration. She spoke ahead of the session with the five companies at GDC 2025 in a session at 12:15 p.m. Pacific on March 20.

“We talked to one deaf player who said how frustrating it is when games are dialog driven. There isn’t always closed captioning, and that means they have no clue what’s going on,” Quinn said. “To talk to the players and hear firsthand about how these features are so important to them, and how it will change their game experience, has moved us.”

The initiative is launching with a set of 24 “tags,” all with clear criteria about what each tag means. Sample tags include: clear text, large and clear subtitles, narrated menus, stick inversion and save anytime, among others. Over time, participating companies will place the Accessible Games Initiative tags near their game product information – for example on digital storefronts, product pages or digital catalogs.

This can help provide players and other consumers, such as parents and teachers, with clear information about which features are in any given game before they make a purchase.

“Tens of millions of Americans have a disability and often face barriers to experiencing the joy and connection that comes with playing video games,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA president and CEO, in a statement. “We are immensely proud to announce the Accessible Games Initiative in partnership with industry leaders. This initiative demonstrates how impactful we can be when we work together in
our industry-wide pursuit of helping more people experience the power of play.”

The idea for the Accessible Games Initiative was first developed by Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft. Amazon Games, Riot Games, Square Enix and Warner Bros. Games also joined the Initiative ahead of the GDC announcement. The Accessible Games Initiative will be managed by the ESA, the trade association representing the U.S. video game industry.

Quinn says the initiative and its tags for accessibility will coexist with other accessibility efforts already available in the industry.

The work was three years in the making (and as much as five years in terms of the thinking goes). The panel was moderated by accessibility consultant Paul Amadeus Lane, with Amy Lazarus of Electronic Arts; Dara Monasch of Google; Steven Evans of Nintendo of America; Anna Waismeyer of Microsoft; and David Tisserand of Ubisoft.

It was a rare moment where arch competitors got up on stage together. I can’t remember the last time that happened on a big stage in gaming history.

“This is a very collaborative effort,” said Evans during the panel. “We can bring the entire industry together with us, even if your company has a longstanding accessibility program or if you’re just getting started.”

Quinn said the work was on the behalf of people like Mike Luckett, who helped with the project. A former Army officer, Luckett suffered a severe spinal cord injury after being cut off by a truck that failed to yield in a motorcycle accident back in 2011. Luckett almost quit gaming a couple of times because of the difficulty of playing while using adaptive controllers. Instead, he worked as an advocate for others, trying to get the industry to do more to help other people with disabilities experience the joy of playing games again.

“Mike is an incredible example of how video games have the power to inspire and to expand our world,” Quinn said.

Quinn said she before she joined the ESA, she had a job at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals back in 2008. While working there, she had the opportunity to meet hundreds of kids and their families and saw the results of illness, injury or disability at children’s hospitals.

“I often saw video games used as therapy and also as a way to provide kids with an outlet in a really scary and challenging time in their lives. I saw first hand the power of play,” Quinn said.

There are tens of millions of people in the U.S. alone with disabilities.

“At ESA we believe strongly that everyone should be able to experience the power of play. That’s why the industry, for so long, has been committed to exploring ways to make video games more accessible,” Quinn said. Companies have invested in developing hardware that allows players with disabilities to customize their gameplay experiences. There’s also an advancement in accessibility by design, helping players enjoy games from the outset. But a core question remains: how do players know that this specific game has the accessibility features that allow them to play that game.”

She added, “In talking to players, we heard countless stories about the hundreds of games they have purchased only to discover the game doesn’t have the accessibility features they would need to play it. We all love games.”

The accessibility experts from these companies identified common accessibility features across their games, which are the foundation of the tags being introduced today.

“Our initial set encompasses four major categories, auditory features, game play features, input features and visual features. Our tasks cover features such as surround sound, clear text, large and clear subtitles, narrated menus, stick conversion, save any time and others,” Quinn said. “These are features that were already available in many video games, we’re just making them easier for players to find the companies involved work directly with their development and compliance teams to create a set of criteria that clearly communicates what constitutes an accessible games initiative tag on a technical level, which is also available today, taking that route for interpretation, not just for players, but also for developers.”

Other key facts:

• The full list of tags and their definitions/criteria are available at accessiblegames.com.
• The tags were developed with guidance and feedback sourced from players with
  disabilities, accessibility advocacy groups and game development teams, all of whom
  provided valuable insights about the real-world applications of the tags.
• The tags are launching in U.S.-English.
• The timeline for implementation of the tags will be determined on a company-by-company
  basis and is always voluntary.
• The tags will be located on participating companies’ digital storefronts, product pages and
  digital catalogues.
• In addition to player-facing definitions, the Accessible Games Initiative also has criteria
  available for developers to use the tags and help them develop their games with
  accessibility in mind.
• As feedback is gathered from the community, and new technologies and features are
  developed, we expect the existing tags to evolve and to introduce additional tags in the
  future.
• Accessible Games Initiative tags can coexist with other accessibility tags available in the
  marketplace.
• The use of Accessible Games Initiative tags is completely voluntary for video game
  companies and storefronts, but the tags are available for all to use.
  To view the tags and learn more about the Accessible Games Initiative, visit
  www.accessiblegames.com.

As for hardware differences, Quinn said there will always be difference consoles with different devices.

“But what’s important about us being at GDC and talking to developers is, if we think about it, in creating the game, then there are so many features that we can build into the game before you even need the hardware,” Quinn said.

She said that the initiative is launching with what the group is calling tags.

“So it’s essentially, this is a phrase or a word that lets you know exactly what the feature is,” Quinn said. “So the initiative is launching with 24 tags so every company who comes in and says, ‘We want to work with the initiative will look at and evaluate it. How can we use these tags? How can we make our games accessible to different people?’”

She said, “Companies who are on board can say they will use this feature, and will use this exact tag so then players will be able to see it and know this is accessible for them,” Quinn said. “Think about how different humans are. I think there is something beautiful about people who are in a position to open doors, to make things more accessible, to create access, seeing that opportunity and doing it. The ESA believes that there’s a game for everyone.”

She said your ability shouldn’t dictate whether or not you can play games. And the intent of the program is to widen the number of people who can play.

“We’re just trying to bring some level of consistency to help players who need accessibility features,” Quinn said.

As for that Super Bowl commercial, she said it was powerful and that the goal remains to make the power of play accessible to everyone.

Amadeus Lane said in closing, “What we witnessed today was historic.”