Selling Accessibility as Early and Essential
Good Accessibility Is Good Game Development
Accessibility (A11Y) isn’t an optional add-on—it’s good game development. Full stop.
Yet convincing stakeholders can be harder than it sounds. Few people will argue against accessibility in principle, but the resistance usually comes down to cost, time, or priority:
“We don’t have time to add A11Y features.”
“We don’t have the tech to build features just for accessibility.”
“I care, but A11Y has to wait until the end.”
“Accessibility isn’t our target market.”
Let’s break down why those excuses don’t hold and establish why the earlier we adopt accessibility in development, the greater the benefits for players, developers, and the business.
Accessibility Is Good Business
Accessibility represents 20–45% of the gaming population—nearly 1.5 billion players worldwide. At an average $70 price point, choosing not to serve that audience leaves billions in revenue untapped. Building accessibility in early doesn’t just help players—it helps studios reach more customers, grow brand loyalty, and increase long-term profitability.
Creating accessible games signals inclusivity as well, which fosters brand loyalty. Gamers appreciate when developers prioritize their needs—and are more likely to support those studios long-term. This impact compounds over time. As the population ages, accessibility becomes more crucial—designing for everyone is future-proofing with features and content that, given strategic planning, are able to re-used for further titles that use the same engine.
Accessibility Is Good Development
Accessibility also makes the development process better.
On a recent AAA project, we pitched accessibility features as developer tools:
High Contrast Mode wasn’t just for players—it helped combat designers quickly distinguish allies from enemies during testing. That saved hundreds of hours of dev time while laying the foundation for a player-facing feature.
Color adjustments supported developers on the team who were color blind themselves. They became natural early adopters and testers, giving us faster feedback and stronger systems.
By investing in A11Y early, studios save thousands of work hours, create stronger features, and carry reusable tech forward to future projects. Even if the initial lift takes a sprint across a few teams, the ROI pays off within a single release.
Selling the “Less Sexy” Features
Not every feature ties neatly to developer efficiency. What about systems like audio-visual cues—spatial indicators that help players locate sounds? (Think Fortnite’s radial reticle or The Last of Us’ full spatial awareness system.)
Here are ways to sell those:
Platform Compliance & Visibility
Platforms like Steam and Xbox now offer accessibility tags that make games discoverable to players searching for those features. Accessibility boosts visibility—and sales.Feature Piggybacking
Developer-focused features, like audio splitting (separating tracks into adjustable channels), create opportunities for low-cost accessibility wins. Sell the core feature, then adapt it for A11Y.
Leadership Matters
Ultimately, the success of accessibility comes down to leadership. UX directors and leads need to build trust with project leadership, aligning accessibility goals with project goals. Respect, collaboration, and empathy open the doors for features that might otherwise be dismissed.
Accessibility isn’t a puzzle you “solve.” It’s an ongoing journey. Good UX leadership means listening deeply, leading with compassion, and lifting your team’s values into the spotlight over time.
Final Words
Accessibility is a shared responsibility across the industry. We’ll never fit every accessibility feature into a single release, but that’s not the point. The point is progress.
Features once considered “nice-to-have” accessibility options—subtitles, remappable controls—are now expected standards. The same will happen with today’s features if we keep pushing, prioritizing, and building with empathy.
Because in the end, good accessibility isn’t just good for players.
It’s good for games.
