'The Division 2' Offers Many Accessibility Options

The Division 2 private beta is going on now giving Ubisoft fans a chance to check out the sequel ahead of launch. With accessibility in gaming becoming more and more of a priority, some may be wandering what the Tom Clancy title has to offer on that front.

Keep in mind, features like colorblind options weren't really a focus up until about 5 years ago and while there are still many more accessibility issues that need to be addressed, more studios are doing their part to make the gaming experience something we can all enjoy.

From gamers with hearing disabilities, to those with colorblindness, Ubisoft has implemented a few ways that players can make the gaming experience more suited to their individual needs. In order to reach the above menu, simply go to 'Settings' and there you'll see font options, UI alterations, a colorblind mode setting, and even menu narration.

We recently sat down with BioWare's Mike Gamble to talk about accessibility in games for another big online game coming up: Anthem. Though it led more into the direction of seizures and developmental design, he did touch on how colorblind accessibility has become way more common in recent years because of player feedback:

"We don't have any features that really prevent [seizures], that's a good point though, we didn't really think about that," Gamble mentioned when I shared a story about having a seizure due to the hacking feature in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Team Death Match. He then asked what about games have triggered that reaction in me personally to which we talked about the flashing and the color schemes that are common triggers. "That's a relatively new thing that we would have to look into. There's always more and more we could do and people like yourself bring up and that helps."

It's nice to see so many developers paying attention to these small mechanical tweaks that can be made to make games more accessible. Though there is still more work to be done, the inclusion of options like this means the world to a large portion of the gaming community.

The Division 2 releases for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC players on March 15th. What are your thoughts on Ubisoft's inclusion? What other ways would you like to see developers get involved? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy!