Ubisoft Releases Accessible Colorblind Simulation Tool for Public Use

Ubisoft has released its colorblind simulation tool, Chroma, to the general public after several years in development. It’s available to check out over on Github.

In the announcement, Ubisoft explained that there are an estimated 300 million people across the globe who are impacted by colorblindness. Chroma’s purpose is to simulate the three major colorblindness types: Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia.

Ubisoft also said that its quality-control team in India started developing Chroma in 2021. The team wanted to create a tool that could provide real-time feedback so developers could simultaneously control the game and simulate colorblindness.

Now that it’s open-source, developers simply have to apply a filter over the game screen and it can simulate live gameplay up to 60fps. Chroma utilizes the Color Oracle algorithm and is compatible with single and dual screens. It also works with hotkeys and has a customizable overlay.

“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,” said Ubisoft QC product manager Jawad Shakil. “Open-sourcing Chroma is a proud step forward, allowing everyone to benefit from this innovation.”

Ubisoft isn’t the only large developer aiming to make accessibility available to the general public. Last year, Electronic Arts made two of its patents open-source. One of them was a speech-based patent that made it easier for players’ speech to be recognized and reflected in-game. The other was an Unreal Engine 5 plugin called IRIS, which automatically alerts developers to moments in their games that could cause seizures in players with photosensitive epilepsy.