Ubisoft’s Chroma, A Colorblind simulation Tool is Now Available for Everyone

Colorblindness is a frustrating condition that primarily affects men, and it can be quite disheartening to realize you’re affected by it. In many situations, individuals without color vision deficiencies have a clear advantage—especially in areas like digital gaming.

Ubisoft has developed a helpful tool to address this challenge in games: Chroma. Even better, the company has open-sourced Chroma, making it freely available for anyone to use.

Chroma is based on the Color Oracle algorithm and supports both single and dual-monitor setups. It’s easy to use, with hotkey functionality and a customizable overlay. The tool applies a visual filter over the game screen to simulate various types and degrees of colorblindness. This allows testers to identify accessibility issues in real time, making it easier to design games that are inclusive and accessible to all players.

“Chroma was created with a clear purpose—making color blindness accessibility a natural part of the creative and testing process,” says Jawad Shakil, QC Product Manager. “The team faced and overcame significant challenges while building it, but through close collaboration with accessibility experts and by refining the tool based on feedback, they created a solution that eliminated lag and inaccuracies, making accessibility testing efficient and smooth. Chroma is a testament to the team’s innovation and dedication; their work is already making a difference in how we design games with accessibility in mind. Open-sourcing Chroma is a proud step forward, allowing everyone to benefit from this innovation.”

Tools such as Chroma enables developers to fine tune their game titles to cater every user’s needs and make all the necessary adjustments and configuration before it gets published.