Summary
- Tekken 8's new colorblind filters intended to help players have faced criticism from some disabled gamers.
- The implementation of these filters has been deemed ineffective.
- The director of Tekken 8 addressed the criticism by explaining that there are multiple accessibility options, but acknowledges that they may not cater to all players with color vision impairments.
Tekken 8 is implementing a host of features intended to help colorblind gamers, but instead has garnered controversy from some disabled players. Bandai Namco released a Tekken 8 demo earlier in December, giving gamers the chance to try out some of its new features. One of the features that was under the radar until fans tried out the free demo was the implementation of filters designed to help players who are colorblind.
The industry has been pushing for more accessibility features in gaming, with these tools and features allowing for easier navigation and differentiation of on-screen information. For example, Spider-Man 2's accessibility features include the ability to disable uncomfortable sounds or display on-screen captions with audio descriptions. In Tekken 8's case, its filters are meant to help make the on-screen action and menu UI elements clearer. However, the implementation of these filters has been criticized by some members of the disabled community.
What to Expect From Tekken 8 in 2024
2024 is set to be a big year for Tekken fans, with the release of Tekken 8 marking the first mainline entry in the series for almost nine years.
The first footage and screenshots of Tekken 8's new filters were first posted by Twitter user SJS | Gatterall, who shared a brief match with the filter activated, which had an uncolored background and horizontal and vertical black lines over its characters to clarify who is who. While some believed this to be a great feature, Electronic Arts' Game Accessibility Lead, Morgan Baker, criticized how it actually made it hard to see. "Please stop tagging me in the Tekken 8 ‘colorblind’ stripe filters," she posted, "It’s already induced an aura migraine for me, and I can’t afford to get another one right now, or worse. Appreciate y’all."
Another gaming accessibility consultant and advocate, Ian Hamilton, shared his thoughts on the new Tekken 8 filters, asking fans to stop sharing the video as it can cause photosensitive viewers harm. He also went into detail regarding the ineffectiveness of colorblind filters, stating that various sensitivities can't be solved by applying a different filter, such as tritanopia or achromatopsia. Other users who viewed the Tekken 8 gameplay video by Gatterall also cited similar concerns, receiving migraines or vertigo from viewing it for even a few seconds.
In response to the critiques, Tekken 8 director and producer Katsuhiro Harada posted on his Twitter account addressing the game's accessibility options. In an extensive post, he noted that this colorblind mode had been in development before Tekken 7, and that the developers had consulted with different research institutes and communities as well. Harada notes that the striped pattern isn't the only accessibility filter in the game, stating that there are multiple options to choose from. Harada closes his post by saying that while the team received positive feedback from demo players, he understands that this option does not address all players in the world who have certain color vision impairments.
Tekken 8
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- January 26, 2024
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, Arika
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Tekken 8 brings the fight to the latest generation of consoles, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Feel the power of every hit in Tekken 8, the latest entry in the legendary fighting game franchise from Bandai Namco. Utilising the power and realism of Unreal Engine 5, Tekken 8 pushes the envelope for fighting games by taking full advantage of the power of the latest generation of consoles. Ground-breaking new features, breathtakingly detailed character models and dramatic environments make this one of the most visually stunning and immersive titles in the genre yet. Tekken 8 picks up after the gruesome battle that ended in Heihachi Mishima’s defeat in Tekken 7, focusing on a new rivalry, pitting father against son as Jin Kazama stands in defiance against Kazuya Mishima in a city-shattering face-to-face showdown.
- Franchise
- Tekken
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
