Ubisoft has made its colorblindness simulation tool, Chroma, available for free to all game developers. The tool, which has been used internally at Ubisoft for several years, allows developers to see their games as colorblind players would in real-time. Colorblindness affects an estimated 300 million people worldwide.
Chroma helps developers create accessible content for these players by applying a filter over the game screen without impacting performance. Over the past few years, Chroma has proven to be a highly efficient tool,” said David Tisserand, Director of Accessibility at Ubisoft. It has allowed us to assess the accessibility of our games for colorblind 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.
Ubisoft’s Chroma tool for developers
We invite everyone to benefit from it, provide feedback, and contribute to its future development.”
Work on Chroma began in 2021 when a Quality Control team at Ubisoft set out to create a tool that would provide real-time feedback and allow developers to control the game while simulating colorblindness.
The current version of Chroma uses the Color Oracle algorithm and can be used on single or dual screens. It also supports hotkeys and has a customizable overlay. Chroma was created with a clear purpose—making color blindness accessibility a natural part of the creative and testing process,” said Jawad Shakil, QC Product Manager.
The team faced and overcame significant challenges while building it, but through close collaboration with accessibility experts and by refining the tool based on feedback, they created a solution that eliminated lag and inaccuracies, making accessibility testing efficient and smooth. Chroma is a testament to the team’s innovation and dedication; their work is already making a difference in how we design games with accessibility in mind. Open-sourcing Chroma is a proud step forward, allowing everyone to benefit from this innovation.”
Developers interested in using Chroma can now download it and start incorporating more inclusive features into their games.
This move by Ubisoft marks another step forward for accessibility in the gaming industry.
Image Credits: Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
