Marvel's Avengers will "reflect the diversity of the real world" says Crystal Dynamics
Marvel's Avengers will "reflect the diversity of the real world" says Crystal Dynamics
By Heidi Nicholas, 29 May 2020
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Crystal Dynamics has shared more information on its efforts towards accessibility and inclusion in Marvel's Avengers, including accessibility features and their goals for post-launch accessibility improvements.
Senior Community & Social Media Manager Meagan Marie says they consulted accessibility specialist Cherry Thompson for "early feedback" on the game, and that they were "a huge resource" when discussing representation. "Our goal is to normalise representation within our game world by reflecting the diversity of the real world," continues Marie. "We have scenes in the game like A-Day which is essentially a comic book convention - having representation in a crowd of people who are all there sharing a passion for superheroes is important to us." Thompson also did some idle motion capture in their wheelchair for an NPC named Cerise, "to help idle movements feel more organic". Marie adds that their aim is for a "holistic approach" about accessibility for the game. "Our efforts are for both the game; but we also want everyone to enjoy social content, events, and other services with as few barriers as possible."
Although Crystal Dynamics couldn't discuss all accessibility features that will be available at launch, Game Designer Mariah Robinson says they "have lots of incredible features lined up" including "fully remappable controls, character-associated subtitles, campaign-relevant closed captions, and HARM Training Rooms." Meagan adds that there will also be a "high contrast user interface" which "makes it easier to navigate for low-vision users or people who find some interfaces distracting and difficult to use".
The Marvel's Avengers team also aims to continue improving accessibility features post-launch. "Accessibility is an ongoing pursuit, not a finite goal," says Meagan. "This is a very ambitious game for us, and so we plan to continue addressing our accessibility ambitions and rolling out improvements on-going beyond launch... A big thing for us is to get the community involved in the discussions surrounding accessibility," and to that end, there's already a contact point — CrystalAccessibility@crystald.com — for feedback. "We don’t expect to be perfect at launch, but we really want to involve the community post-launch so that they can share feedback and suggestions that fit the needs of our player base." Robinson says the game's tagline, "embrace your powers", helps "define a message of how important inclusiveness is... We really do believe that everyone can be a superhero, and with Marvel's Avengers, we want them to live that superhero fantasy."
There's still a fair few months to go until Marvel's Avengers releases on the 4th of September. In the meantime, there's a gameplay stream planned for June the 24th, which will show new trailers, story missions, and co-op, and we'll be sure to bring you all major news.
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Written by Heidi Nicholas
Hey, I'm Heidi! I've just finished studying a Masters in English Literature, but I've been obsessed with gaming since long before then. I began on the PS2 with Spyro, before graduating to the Xbox 360 and disappearing into Skyrim. I'm now a loyal RPG fan, but I still like to explore other genres — when I'm not playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey, or being lured back into Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Witcher 3!