Video games have evolved from being a young person’s pastime to a universal hobby enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities.
Today’s gaming community includes everyone from older adults and casual players to individuals living with disabilities.
As this audience grows, so does the responsibility of developers to ensure everyone can enjoy what they create.
While colorblindness may not always be classified as a disability, it can deeply impact how players experience and interact with games.
In a push to make games more inclusive for colorblind players, Ubisoft has open-sourced Chroma, a simulation tool that helps developers understand and design for color vision deficiencies.
Chroma brings real-time colorblind simulation to game testing
Announced during the Game Accessibility Conference, Ubisoft’s Chroma tool is now available for public use after years of internal development.
Created by the company’s Quality Control team in India, Chroma lets developers simulate the visual experience of colorblindness in real time without affecting game performance.
“Over the past few years, Chroma has proven to be a highly efficient tool for us at Ubisoft,” said David Tisserand, Director of Accessibility.
“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. We invite everyone to benefit from it, provide feedback, and contribute to its future development.”
The tool uses the Color Oracle algorithm, a trusted open-source simulation system known for its accuracy.
Developers can toggle filters using hotkeys, test across single or dual screens, and adjust the overlay to suit their needs.
Ubisoft’s accessibility push joins growing industry momentum
Ubisoft’s open-source release of Chroma underlines a broader industry trend: accessibility is no longer optional. Game studios are treating it as a core pillar of design, not an afterthought.
“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,” he said.
Ubisoft now joins the ranks of other major players leading accessibility efforts.
Microsoft has a dedicated team building adaptive Xbox hardware, and Sony continues to integrate accessibility into both its games and consoles.
Gaming industry embraces accessibility with global efforts
The push for inclusion has gone beyond isolated efforts and is now shaping the industry’s culture at large.
Back in 2023, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, developed by Sony, shipped with a suite of accessibility features. These included gameplay modifiers, visual aids, and audio support.
On the other hand, Microsoft‘s Xbox Adaptive Controller has redefined how gamers with physical disabilities access and enjoy their consoles.
More recently, major publishers, including Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, and others, came together at GDC 2025 to launch the Accessible Games Initiative.
This program aims to improve the way accessibility features are communicated to players, making it easier to find and understand what each title offers.
Together, these steps reflect a deeper commitment: gaming should be for everyone.
