Game Developer reports that EA has just open sourced 23 accessibility patents. This means other developers across the industry can use this technology for free. The news comes after EA pledged in 2021 not to sue rival companies for plagiarizing these types of tools.
Third parties can now openly use a number of patented technologies to improve user accessibility. This includes new speech recognition tools, simplified speech technology in games, and the ability to create personalized speech detection algorithms. EA says other developers can use the technology to “more effectively recognize player voices and reflect them in-game in ways that represent the player’s age, emotions, language, and speech style.” It is said that it can be done.
There are also internal plugins for Unreal Engine 5 built into the open source pile. It incorporates EA’s photosensitive analysis technology called IRIS, which allows developers to identify potential issues that may affect players with certain health issues related to vision and the nervous system. Allows for faster discovery.
Kelly Hopkins, EA’s global SVP, said this new set of open source patents “encourages the industry to work together to make video games more inclusive by removing unintended barriers to access.” states. The company also says that this is just the beginning of its efforts to improve accessibility across the industry, and will begin running accessible design workshops and expanding its testing capabilities.
This isn’t the first time EA has given away some of its proprietary accessibility technology to competitors. This is also the case with the ping system originally featured in battle royale hit Apex Legends, which allows players to discuss in-game strategy without relying on voice chat. It also makes it easier to relay location data to teammates. This technology has also appeared in other games such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite.
