“The developers expressed enthusiasm for the XAGs, but they also asked for additional context and clarification on how to ensure that these guidelines are properly implemented in their games,” says the post. “In addition, there is a clear desire for more content to help the developer understand ‘where to start’ or ‘how to focus efforts’. Finally, there were calls for help to understand the impact that XAGs will have on the gaming experience of players with disabilities. “The changes implemented today include adjustments to the language used in the guidelines to make them clearer and easier to understand, as well as added elements such as objectives, scope issues and key target areas to help developers understand why each area is important and navigate in the guidelines more easily.
The biggest change is that developers can now send their Xbox or PC games to Microsoft to be “reviewed and validated” based on the guidelines and to receive feedback on any issues to help them understand where players with disabilities can have difficulties, and how problems can be corrected. This will include links to documentation, articles and other information that will help developers better understand why certain issues are important. Most important of all, members of the Xbox gaming and disability community will be part of the game’s feedback process.
Xbox has been actively advocating for more accessible games for years, especially with the launch of the Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2018, and continuing to support accessibility through explicitly accessible games like HyperDot and, more recently, with a number of included Xbox features Series X.
Rebekah Valentine is an IGN reporter. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.