Electronic Arts, free access for competitors to accessibility patents

The US video game giant Electronic Arts has stated that it will free the use of its patents and technology regarding accessibility. Competitors will therefore be able to rely on the company’s work already done to develop further innovative solutions. The goal is to make the world of video games as inclusive as possible.

Electronic Arts, better known by the abbreviation EA, is a video game giant that has created some of the most famous titles of all time, such as The Sims, Battlefield, FIFA and many others. He has always innovated the world of video games from a technical and graphic point of view, but now he wants to go further.

Electronic Arts and accessibility patents

By deciding to make their patents freely accessible, SHE it will give a strong impetus to the development of accessibility technologies by other companies in the sector that may not have the same starting resources. An example of all this is the Ping system, which has been made free as said.

This is the possibility of communicating pre-set in-game indications and advice, by pressing a few keys quickly. This system is fast and effective, reduces toxicity in multiplayer games and allows sufferers to difficulty hearing or speaking to be equally functional.

Thanks to this system it is therefore not mandatory to use the microphone to communicate with teammates. The system has already been implemented in the popular free-to-play first-person shooter Apex Legends, and the players welcomed the news in a positive way. There are also patents related to technologies for visual impairments such as color blindness.

The words of Chris Bruzzo

Chris Bruzzo, EVP di Positive Play, Commercial and Marketing, explained:

“At Electronic Arts, our mission is to inspire the world to play. We can make it become
reality only if our games are accessible to all players. Our team
accessibility has long been committed to breaking down the barriers within our video games,
but we realize that to drive meaningful change, we need to work
together as an industry in order to do better for our players ”.

“We hope that the developers make the most of these patents and encourage those who
they have the resources, innovation and creativity to do as we do, committing themselves to putting
accessibility in the first place. We welcome collaboration with other companies on
ways to carry the sector forward together ”.

“We always listen to our players so we can understand where
there are unmet needs that we have to fulfill. For us it is important that everyone does
feel welcome in our games, and this level of inclusion must be rooted in
community feedback. These technologies exist to help more people around the world
world to experience fantastic video games, and we are very proud of our role
community plays in promoting innovations that can make a difference ”.