EA Just Made Two Accessibility Patents Open-Source

As a seasoned gamer with a visual impairment, I can wholeheartedly appreciate EA‘s recent move to open-source two of their patents. The speech-based patent and the IRIS plugin for Unreal Engine 5 are game-changers, quite literally!

EA has chosen to share two of its patented technologies publicly, labeling them open-source. This move grants developers outside of EA permission to utilize the technology that was once exclusive to this AAA game publisher. Moreover, this decision also extends to players who may be affected by photosensitive seizures or require assistance with speech while gaming, as they now have unrestricted access to these patents too.

In recent years, there’s been a growing emphasis on accessibility in gaming as creators strive to make their games inclusive for players with various abilities. For instance, in 2021, Electronic Arts (EA) committed to easing patent restrictions, particularly those related to technology designed to enhance the user experience and quality of life. Now, EA has updated its 2021 pledge by announcing that two specific patents will be provided at no cost.

According to EA, the main objective of its speech-focused patent is to enable a game to accurately understand and portray the speech of players, taking into account factors such as age, emotion, language, and speaking style. The second patent, IRIS (Integrated Real-time Seizure Warning System), is an Unreal Engine 5 plugin that notifies developers about instances within their games that could potentially trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.

Blanca Macazaga Zuaz, an engineer at IRIS, emphasized that starting tests early will help identify problems more quickly with their patented technology.

Companies like EA aren’t alone in embracing accessibility features, but their choice to make those specific patents freely available to the public is definitely a positive step forward.

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2024-12-06 21:39