Battlefield 2042
A multiplayer first-person shooter from EA and DICE.
Where Battlefield 2042 comes up1 episode or test
Battlefield 2042 shipped strong accessibility options: sensitivity controls down to each scope size and a menu screen reader that lets blind players start the game. It still missed subtitles on its intro cutscene, and its narrator mispronounces enable and disable. The lesson: ship the full feature set, then test that every option covers all content and works reliably.
- Sensitivity set per scope size
- Menu screen reader included
- Intro cutscene has no subtitles
- Narrator mispronounces enable and disable
Having the features isn't enough; they must be robust and reliable
From Mark Brown on game accessibility
What was said about Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 shipped deep sensitivity options and a menu screen reader. Sensitivity can be set down to each scope size. A menu screen reader lets blind players move through the menus.
Menu narration is now common. Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires IV, It Takes Two, Far Cry 6, Riders Republic and Back 4 Blood also have it, and some games turn it on by default so players can reach settings unaided.
Battlefield 2042 left its intro cutscene without subtitles. The game has no subtitles for its intro cutscene, a gap in subtitle coverage that a feature checklist would not catch.
Tales of Arise has a similar problem: acceptable cutscene subtitles but "microscopic words during gameplay and combat." Subtitle quality has to hold in every context the player meets.
Its menu narrator mispronounces "disable" and "enable". The narrator gets the first menu words wrong, so the screen reader exists but works poorly at the point where blind players start.
Mark Brown uses this alongside Deathloop and Hitman 3 (partial toggles) and Far Cry 6 (vague captions). His point: "It's no longer that noteworthy for a game to have these features - now, they need to be robust and reliable."
How Accessible Were 2021's Games?
It has huge sensitivity options down to each scope size and a menu screen reader, but forgot subtitles for its intro cutscene. Its narrator mispronounces disable and enable.
Battlefield 2042 shipped deep sensitivity options and a menu screen reader. Sensitivity can be set down to each scope size. A menu screen reader lets blind players move through the menus.
Menu narration is now common. Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires IV, It Takes Two, Far Cry 6, Riders Republic and Back 4 Blood also have it, and some games turn it on by default so players can reach settings unaided.
Battlefield 2042 left its intro cutscene without subtitles. The game has no subtitles for its intro cutscene, a gap in subtitle coverage that a feature checklist would not catch.
Tales of Arise has a similar problem: acceptable cutscene subtitles but "microscopic words during gameplay and combat." Subtitle quality has to hold in every context the player meets.
Its menu narrator mispronounces "disable" and "enable". The narrator gets the first menu words wrong, so the screen reader exists but works poorly at the point where blind players start.
Mark Brown uses this alongside Deathloop and Hitman 3 (partial toggles) and Far Cry 6 (vague captions). His point: "It's no longer that noteworthy for a game to have these features - now, they need to be robust and reliable."
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