Ubisoft releases colorblind simulation tool in positive step

Ubisoft has improved accessibility efforts by making its colorblind simulation tool publicly available. By overlaying a filter on the game screen in real-time, the technique, named Chroma, enables developers to simulate colorblindness without affecting gameplay.  It's now publicly available on GitHub, allowing other creators to quickly see how their games can be perceived by diverse audiences.

Despite the fact that 300 million individuals worldwide are thought to be colorblind, not all games have accessibility features that allow color schemes to be changed appropriately.  The tool's development started in 2021 by the Quality Control team of Ubisoft. Using the Color Oracle method, Chroma has now been enhanced to correctly imitate various forms of colorblindness.  It features an overlay that may be customized and can be used on one or two displays.

"Over the past few years, Chroma has proven to be a highly efficient tool for us at Ubisoft," said David Tisserand, Ubisoft's director of accessibility. "It has allowed us to assess the accessibility of our games for colourblind players much faster and more comprehensively than ever before. Because we believe accessibility is a journey, not a race, we're thrilled to share Chroma with the entire industry. We invite everyone to benefit from it, provide feedback, and contribute to its future development."

Jawad Shakil, QC product manager, said, "Chroma was developed with a clear purpose - making colorblindness accessibility a natural part of the creative and testing process."  "While developing it, the team encountered and overcame many obstacles, but by working closely with accessibility specialists and making necessary adjustments based on user input, they developed a solution that removed latency and errors, resulting in a seamless and effective accessibility testing process.  The team's inventiveness and commitment are demonstrated by Chroma, whose efforts are already changing the way we create games with accessibility in mind. Chroma's open-source status is a significant advancement that will benefit everyone.

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Ubisoft is still dealing  with problems

Following the announcement of the new subsidiary, which will receive a 1.6 billion euro investment from Tencent, which will control and develop its major brands, like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, Ubisoft is still dealing with the effects. Additionally, Ubisoft is facing legal action from users of The Crew, a racing game that was taken offline in March of last year.  In a concerning step for game preservation, the firm claimed that customers bought a "limited license to access the game" rather than "unfettered ownership."

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