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Xbox announced at the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) the launch of the Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework. These resources aim to assist game developers in creating intentionally inclusive games and reaching a wider audience.
Katy Jo Wright, Xbox’s head of Gaming for Everyone, mentioned that Xbox has been using this framework internally since 2019. It focuses on four key aspects known as “Inclusive Growth Doorways”: Approachability, representation, globalization, and accessibility. Xbox intends to provide these tools to all developers interested in using them.
In a conversation with GamesBeat, Wright emphasized the importance of intentional inclusion, stating, “Reaching players that might be different than us, or have different lived experiences — that’s not going to happen by default.”
According to Wright, the Framework was developed to address challenges in translating principles on a local level. She described it as actionable resources that help Team Xbox members deliver on the concept of product inclusion.
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Growth Inclusion Doorways
Wright provided examples of the doorways in action. For representation and globalization, she highlighted the community games collection feature on the Xbox store, which allows users to find games relevant to specific groups. Other examples included Xbox’s family settings and Ambassadors program for approachability, language support on the Microsoft store for globalization, and accessibility features in Microsoft games.
Wright clarified that the Framework is not a tool or mandate, but rather a way to make internal tools available to all developers. She emphasized the goal of making gaming truly accessible to everyone.
