Microsoft launches platform to improve game accessibility on Xbox and PC

Microsoft has updated guidelines that might help developers make their projects more accessible for people with disabilities. Now the studios will be able to send their Xbox or PC games for review and receive feedback on how to improve them.

Senior gaming accessibility program manager Brannon Zahand shared the news on Xbox official blog. Besides screenshots and reproduction steps, Microsoft will send developers “links to gaming accessibility and inclusive design documentation, nonprofits and industry-recognized subject matter experts, platform-specific technical documentation, and more.”

Xbox Accessibility Guidelines were first introduced in January of 2020 and were designed with help from gamers with disabilities. After receiving feedback from developers and the community, Microsoft updated a few paragraphs and released a new version.

“Perhaps the most important aspect of the program, however, is the inclusion of gamers with disabilities as part of the testing project. Every test pass includes members of the Gaming & Disability Community to not only run test cases against games but to provide their feedback and insights as well,” Zahand wrote in the post.

Microsoft has been trying to improve the accessibility of its products and make them available for a wider audience for years. In 2018, the company released a special Xbox Adaptive Controller. In 2019, it was also praised for a high level of accessibility in Gears 5.