"Forza Horizon 5" might just be the only video game out there with official support for both British and American Sign Language with this major update.
forza horizon 5 screenshot
After being announced last year, "Forza's" sign language support is finally out to help deaf and hard of hearing individuals fully enjoy the cutscenes of the game. According to Eurogamer, 150 in-game cinematics now feature both BSL and ASL via an interpreter shown in PIP (picture-in-picture) mode whenever the cutscenes are playing.
Here is a YouTube video detailing how it works:
In a post by Microsoft on its news page, they detailed how the "Forza" sign language update was conceived and developed. As per the post, the update included actors from the deaf and hard of hearing communities signing during times when there's no driving, like challenges, meeting other players, and getting ready for a race.
One of the people who were instrumental in getting support for sign language in "Forza Horizon 5" was Cameron Akitt, a hard-of-hearing gamer who was brought in as a consultant by developer Playground Games. According to him, having a human being singing on screen is a "different dynamic," calling the experience a "surreal and fascinating" one.
This update came as part of Playground Games' commitment to making "Forza Horizon 5" as accessible as possible. Among their efforts included a so-called inclusive workshop, where feedback from deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals was taken in order to improve the game's accessibility features.
As a result, the next-gen "Forza" title helped Playground win the Innovation in Accessibility award during The Game Awards 2021.
If you want to turn on the feature, all you need to do is go to Settings > Accessibility, then toggle the Sign Language Picture-In-Picture option, as shared by GamesRadar.
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'Forza Horizon 5' And The Dawn Of Accessible Gaming
There are far more video games out there with extensive accessibility features that literally allow anyone to play them. And Microsoft, alongside Xbox, is among the leaders of the movement.
This has been made apparent in Xbox's commitment to improving accessibility in its first-party studios, including "Forza Horizon 5" developer Playground Games. They first introduced console-wide accessibility even way back in 2015, though early progress has been "relatively incremental," as reported by IGN.
But with the "Forza" sign language update, Xbox is pushing the limits of gaming accessibility even further beyond. As previously mentioned, it looks like the racing game is the only one of its kind to feature full support for ASL and BSL, as no immediate sources are pointing to other games.
Maybe this move from Playground, Microsoft, and Xbox could set precedence within the entire gaming industry. Accessibility is not just about creating the right hardware or software but also ensuring that folks, regardless of their disabilities, can enjoy the content as much as their non-disabled peers.
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
