Electronic Arts opens its tech patents for free to all developers

Electronic Arts (EA), a leading video game company, has significantly expanded its accessibility program by releasing 23 additional tech patents aimed at enhancing inclusivity for gamers. This move comes as part of EA's ongoing commitment to make gaming experiences more accessible for those with disabilities, particularly for individuals with speech disorders. The new patents include innovative technologies related to speech generation and recognition which can help players communicate more effectively within games. Notably, these technologies allow for the creation of expressive speech audio from text data, improve the recognition of spoken words, and even generate voice outputs that can mimic a player’s own voice using minimal voice samples. The decision to open up these patents marks an important milestone for EA, as it more than doubles the total number of patents available to developers under this initiative since the launch of the accessibility pledge in 2021. The company aims to eliminate barriers that would prevent diverse groups from engaging in gaming. By sharing these technologies, EA hopes to empower other developers to improve their own games, ensuring that experiences cater to a wider audience. Kerry Hopkins, the Senior Vice President of Global Affairs at EA, emphasized the company's belief that gaming should be accessible to all, and that her team is consistently exploring new ways to ensure inclusivity in gaming. The patents are designed not only to facilitate better communication for players who struggle with traditional verbal expression but also to adapt gaming environments to a player's emotional state. For instance, one innovative feature infers a player’s emotions and adjusts the game’s background music to suit their mood, which could enhance the overall gameplay experience. In conjunction with these developments, EA is also publishing a plugin for Unreal Engine 5, which incorporates EA's photosensitivity analysis technology. This tool assists game developers in identifying gameplay frames that may pose risks to players with photosensitivity, ensuring a safer gaming environment for a broader range of players. By extending their reach and resources to other companies, EA is striving to create a more inclusive gaming landscape, reflecting a growing awareness within the industry of the importance of accessibility in entertainment.