Japanese Game Studios Are Taking Accessibility to the Next Level

2023 is already a promising year for disabled gamers. From the recent PC release of The Last of Us Part I to Dead Space’s extensive content warnings for individuals with mental health disabilities, accessibility design continues to evolve. And it’s not just Western studios that are innovating. Several titles from Japanese studios are demonstrating a global interest in accessibility in games.

This year alone, games like Wild Hearts and Hi-Fi Rush included dozens of features and design practices that allow disabled people to play with as few unintended barriers as possible. But this attention to accessibility detail is not new. Speaking with WIRED, Wild Hearts co-director Takuto Edagawa and Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas discussed their games’ options, how the studios work with the accessibility community, and the overall importance of creating accessible and entertaining experiences for all.

Wild Hearts

Developed by Omega Force and Koei Tecmo, and published by Electronic Arts, Wild Hearts is the latest iteration in the monster hunting genre. And with the difficult task of slaying gargantuan beasts comes an assortment of accessibility features to aid disabled hunters. Customizing keys, enabling screen readers for menus, and even toggling actions such as the Karakuri Stance help to reduce player exhaustion and extend play periods. These settings are just some of the available tools that Edagawa wants disabled individuals to be able to access.

“This is not the first time Omega Force has incorporated accessibility features into our games, but I think it's the title which we put the most effort into so far,” Edagawa says. “As it's an action game, complicated controls are often required, so we tried hard to create an environment that's easy to play for a wide variety of players without compromising the gameplay.”

Implementing accessibility is a process that requires continuous learning and listening. As technology and systems evolve, so too do the methods that developers use to create innovative features and designs. Thankfully, development teams can look to other studios and even consultants for inspiration and resources. For Wild Hearts, Edagawa acknowledges the support that EA provided, as well as the importance of looking elsewhere for guidance.

“We weren't inspired by one specific game, but we did refer to various Western AAA games when we decided on the accessibility features, as Western games are really advanced in this field,” he says. “In addition, we received a lot of detailed information on how to implement these features from EA, which was very helpful. EA helped us with deciding which settings needed to be included and checked if the features were working properly. There’s always more that can be done, but their input helped set us on the right path.”