EA is opening patents for some of its accessibility technologies

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Electronic Arts is committed to opening patents for some of its accessibility-related technologies, including the much-celebrated Apex Legends ping system, the company announced today. EA says it will not file infringement lawsuits against any person or company for using technologies that fall under the patents listed in the pledge.

The ping system in Apex Legends, which allows people to play team play without listening or speaking, has been praised both as an impressive alternative to voice chat and as a great accessibility feature for players with a variety of disabilities. . A patent covering the system (US 11,097,189) was issued the same day EA’s commitment was announced.

Along with the ping system patent, EA is opening patents for the technology it uses in Madden and FIFA to make them more accessible to people with color blindness and low vision. The technology includes automated systems to improve visibility by detecting and modifying colors (US 10,118,097) and contrast ratios (US 10,878,540).

The Tampa Bay game call screen in Madden NFL 21 with color blindness settings set to deuteranopia, simulated as seen by someone with red-green color blindness. Image: Electronic Arts

The pledge also includes a patent for a custom audio technology (US 10,878,540) that will modify or create music for people based on their listening preferences and hearing level, although EA claims this technology has not yet been developed.

In addition to opening some of its patents, EA is an open source code that helps solve problems of brightness, contrast and color blindness in digital content. Developers can find the code on GitHub and adapt or develop it for their own games.

We hope developers will make the most of these patents and encourage those with the resources, innovation and creativity to do as we do by making their own commitments that put accessibility first, says Chris Bruzzo, EVP at Positive. Play, Commercial and Marketing by EA. We welcome cooperation with others on how to move the industry forward together.

EA says it plans to add patents for future accessibility-related technology to the commitment, as well as open-source more of its technology.

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