Tekken 8 Director Says Accessibility Concerns Unwarranted, or Just 'Misunderstood'

Tekken 8 director Katushiro Harada has responded to concerns raised regarding one facet of the upcoming fighters' accessibility suite, saying some have "misunderstood" the options available. Concerns were raised by advocates after video and screenshots went viral over the holidays, who suggested that it could pose a serious risk to players who have epilepsy, potentially causing Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Of particular concern is a striped filter, which, when seen in motion, has allegedly made colourblind players feel sick, affected by migraines and vertigo. Ian Hamilton, an accessibility specialist, urged Bandai Namco to remove the mode ahead of the games' 26th January launch, alluding to the infamous Porygon episode of Pokemon, which hospitalised hundreds of children when aired in Japan.

Harada responded to the concern, noting that "a few people, albeit very few, have either misunderstood the accessibility options we are trying or have only seen the video without actually trying them out in the demo play". The video Harada referenced shows the effect in action, which suggests it's supposed to help colourblind players, some of whom point out that this sort of thing would be better suited to those with low vision.

The director continued, noting: "We have 'multiple types of colour vision options' for players with different colour vision, not just one pattern. In addition to that, there is also a brightness adjustment for effects and an overall brightness adjustment, and with those, there is quite a range of adjustments. "On top of that, we have never claimed or publicised that these options cover all players' colour vision (although it has been talked about by a favourable community as a result)."

What do you think about the situation? If you suffer from colourblindness, is there a game that you feel has successfully implemented helpful accessibility options? Let us know in the comments section below.