Accessible Games Initiative tags adopted by Nintendo, Xbox, Ubisoft and EA, making it easier to find accessibility features

Six companies – Nintendo, Xbox, Ubisoft, EA, Riot Games and Google – have adopted the tagging process created by the Accessible Games Initiative.

The Accessible Games Initiative, which is a project led by the Entertainment Software Association, aims to improve players’ experiences by making it clearer to them which games have specific accessibility features they may need.

There are 25 tags, as listed on the Initiative’s website, split into auditory, gameplay, input, and visual features.

For example, a game may be tagged if it features large and clear subtitles, text-to-speech, the option to avoid button-mashing, the option to play only using touch controls, the ability to choose difficulty levels, or the option to play with mono audio.

Adopting the tags is a voluntary process, and the tags can co-exist with other accessibility tagging systems that may already be in place.

Now Nintendo, Xbox, Ubisoft, EA, Riot Games and Google have added the tags to their product pages, digital storefronts, accessibility pages or digital catalogues, allowing their customers to see which games have specific tags they want.

Nintendo shows the tags in the About this Item section on a game’s page on its website, as well as a complete list of tags available here, which can be chosen to show a list of games which currently have these tags applied.

The Xbox website has an Accessibility in Games page with dropdowns allowing users to filter by specific accessibility tags.

Ubisoft has added accessibility tags to 80 of its games, which are listed on this page, whereas EA says players can now select a game on the EA app or its website and scroll to get that game’s tags.

Riot Games has also added its own page explaining the accessibility features in each of its games, while Google’s YouTube Playables page has tags located on a per-game basis under the Game Info section.

“Finding a game with the accessibility features you prefer should be straightforward,” Accessible Games Initiative executive director Daniella Decker said in a statement.

“As more companies adopt the Accessible Games Initiative tags, we are providing a shared language that makes accessibility features easier to recognize and games easier to discover. It’s a win-win for players and for business. We invite the entire industry to help more people discover ways to play.”