Ubisoft has announced the release of “Chroma,” a powerful new open-source tool aimed at enhancing visual accessibility for colorblind players. This move sets a new standard for inclusivity in gaming, offering developers a robust system to simulate color blindness and improve the experience for millions of players around the world.
A Game-Changer for 300 Million People
Globally, around 300 million people live with some form of color blindness, a condition that can greatly affect how video games are experienced. Ubisoft’s new tool, Chroma, is designed to transform that experience by providing accurate real-time simulation of various types of color vision deficiencies—without impacting performance.
Announced on Ubisoft’s official website, Chroma is now publicly available and fully open-source via GitHub. The tool allows developers to preview how their games appear to players with different types of color blindness, including protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia.
Built by Developers, for Developers
Chroma was initially developed in 2021 as an internal tool that offered real-time visual feedback for Ubisoft’s development teams. Since then, it has evolved into a refined accessibility solution powered by the Color Oracle algorithm. It works seamlessly across both dual-screen and single-screen setups and supports customizable overlays activated via hotkeys.
This tool empowers game designers to better understand the challenges colorblind players face and offers a streamlined solution to address those issues without compromising gameplay.
Setting a New Standard for Accessibility
While other industry leaders like EA and Activision Blizzard are also exploring similar accessibility features, Ubisoft’s decision to make Chroma open source stands out. In fact, EA filed a patent in 2023 for a similar tool, but Ubisoft’s transparent and collaborative approach might lead other studios to adopt Chroma instead of building their own.
Ubisoft’s focus on accessibility comes at a time when the company is facing scrutiny over studio closures and staff layoffs, making the release of Chroma a welcome shift toward positive, community-driven innovation.
Final Thoughts
Ubisoft Chroma is more than just a developer tool—it’s a step forward for accessible, inclusive gaming. With its public release, the industry now has an opportunity to make games more playable and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of how they see the world.