Nintendo, Microsoft, and other developers will share accessibility labels about their games

Five major video game companies, including Nintendo of America and Microsoft, are joining a major new “cross-industry effort” managed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) to share clearer information about the accessibility features in their games.

As part of the “Accessible Games Initiative,” the five “founding members” — Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Ubisoft — will initially use a set of 24 tags like “large and clear subtitles” and “narrated menus” to communicate certain accessibility features, according to a press release.

According to the Accessible Games Initiative website, the list of tags includes:

• Auditory features: Chat speech-to-text & text-to-speech, mono sound, multiple volume controls, narrated menus, stereo sound, surround sound
• Gameplay features: Difficulty levels, save anytime
• Input features: Basic input remapping, full input remapping, playable with buttons only, playable with keyboard only, playable with mouse only, playable with touch only, playable without button holds, playable without motion controls, playable without rapid button presses, playable without touch controls, stick inversion
• Visual features: Camera comfort, chat speech-to-text & text-to-speech, clear, text, color alternatives, large and clear subtitles, large text

The companies will put the tags on places like their digital storefronts and product pages (which typically already feature information on things like how many players a game supports and age ratings). However, the ESA says the timeline for the implementation of the tags will be “determined on a company-by-company basis and is always voluntary.”

“The timeline for implementation of the tags is company-dependent,” Aubrey Quinn, ESA’s senior vice president for communications, tells The Verge. “While we cannot speak for them about their plans, we know companies are working with the relevant departments across their individual organizations to bring the tags to their consumers.”

The five founding members and Sony Interactive Entertainment “first developed” the initiative. When we asked why Sony isn’t a founding member, Quinn told us to reach out to Sony, which didn’t reply to a request for comment. Amazon Games, Riot Games, Square Enix, and Warner Bros. Games have joined the initiative, too.

The Verge has asked all of the companies involved when they might implement the tags. Here’s what we’ve heard back.

• Google spokesperson Zoe Ortiz declined to comment.
• Riot Games: “As part of the accessibility steering committee, we played an active role in defining these tags, and our accessibility team is building a plan to implement them,” says Enid Brown Nelson, director of product accessibility at Riot Games. “We want everyone to have the chance to play and enjoy our current and future games, so we’re always looking for ways to make them more welcoming—no matter who you are or how you play.”
• Ubisoft: “Ubisoft is actively planning the integration of these tags into its product pages and will have more to share soon,” says David Tisserand, accessibility director at Ubisoft.
• Xbox: “Team Xbox is working to implement Accessible Games Initiative tags across titles,” says Anna Waismeyer, senior gaming accessibility research lead at Microsoft. “Once ready, players will be able to find both Xbox Game Accessibility Feature Tags and Accessible Games Initiative tags digitally in a variety of Xbox experiences.”