Electronic Arts has recently made 23 of its patents openly available to other developers, allowing them to be freely used without risk of litigation from the company. These include advanced tools for speech recognition and generation, capable of creating expressive speech from text data and mimicking players’ voices based on previously collected data. One system uses machine learning to make a player’s voice sound older, while another can interpret a player’s emotions and adjust the game’s background music accordingly.
These innovations aim to enhance the gaming experience for players with speech impairments or those who struggle with verbal expression, enabling more effective communication that better represents their age, emotions, language, and speech style.
In addition to these patents, EA has also released an Unreal Engine 5 plugin designed to help developers identify frames that could affect photosensitive players, allowing for early detection of potential issues during the development process.
Kerry Hopkins, one of EA’s executives, emphasized the company’s commitment to making games more accessible and inclusive: “We believe games should be accessible to everyone, and our industry-leading teams are always looking for new ways to make this a reality.”
This initiative builds on Electronic Arts’ previous efforts to promote accessibility in the gaming industry. By continuing to share their innovations, they encourage the industry to work together to make video games more inclusive.