Electronics Art – Patents Ease
Electronic Arts stated today that it will disclose the patents for several of its accessibility-related technology, including the well-known Apex Legends ping mechanism. Electronic Arts said it will not file infringement lawsuits against people or firms who use technology covered by the pledge’s patents.
The Apex Legends ping system, which lets players play the team-based game without hearing or speaking, has been lauded as an outstanding alternative to voice chat as well as a terrific accessibility option for gamers with various disabilities. On the same day that Electronic Arts announced the pledge, a patent covering the system (US 11,097,189) was issued.
EA working for Blind
EA is also filing patents for the technology it uses in Madden and FIFA to make games more accessible to persons with color blindness and impaired vision. Automated methods for increasing visibility by detecting and changing colours (US 10,118,097) and contrast ratios are part of the technology (US 10,878,540).
The pledge also includes a patent for “personalised sound technology” (US 10,878,540) that will adapt or generate music for people based on their listening preferences and hearing level, however, EA claims this technology has not yet been developed.
Electronic Arts is open-sourcing code that helps address difficulties with brightness, contrast, and colorblindness in digital content, in addition to opening some of its patents. The code is available on EA’s GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing game developers to use or alter it for their own projects.
EA respects Individual Developers
“We hope that developers will take advantage of these patents, and that those with the resources, inventiveness, and creativity will follow our lead by making their own pledges that prioritise accessibility,” says Chris Bruzzo, EVP of positive play, commercial, and marketing at Electronic Arts. “We welcome collaboration with others on how we can collectively advance the industry.”
Apart from exchanging patents, EA has no intentions to assist other developers in using its technology. “We have the utmost respect for individual developers and their knowledge of how to apply our accessibility inventions in a way that works with their software,” Bruzzo says. The company says it aims to open-source more of its technology and add patents for future accessibility-related technology to the pledge.