KEYWORDS STUDIOS LAUNCHES NEW ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES INITIATIVE

Player Research, a division of Keywords Studios which powers our Individual Ambassador programme, has announced a new accessibility services suite.

The new service offerings intend to improve gaming experiences for those with disabilities or additional accessibility requirements, and have been designed with assistance from players and consultants in the games accessibility community with lived experience.

As part of Player Research’s offering, its teams will deliver feedback on content at every stage of game production. Alongside that, a range of auditing and research services, inclusive design consultancy, co-development of accessibility features, professional audio description and closed caption support for accessible game trailers will also be available.

The new services are available now, and will be delivered in collaboration with an assortment of other Keywords brands including TrailerFarm, Climax Studios, Globalize and more, leveraging the firm’s network of specialist companies.

“We want to push the games industry towards an accessible future by providing developers and publishers with the support, research, guidance, and the tools they need to bring their experiences to a wider audience,” said Améliane F. Chiasson, games accessibility lead at Player Research. “We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy gaming experiences as fully as possible.”

“Player Research is deeply trusted to deliver insight that steers the design direction of the most innovative game studios and publishers worldwide, including seminal titles like Elden Ring, Control, and Life is Strange: True Colors,” added Sebastian Long, managing director of Player Research. “We’re delighted to further support these visionary futures of game development — with expert accessibility guidance throughout their production process — helping studios design inclusively, with their disabled players in mind.”

Women in Games CEO Marie-Claire Isaaman offered: “This is a fantastic initiative by our Individual Ambassador partner Keywords Studios. Accessibility in video games is such an important area, so we are pleased to see Player Research leading the way in this field, allowing more people to play games.”