Sony Announces New PlayStation Studios Accessibility Community Council
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) on Thursday marked Global Accessibility Awareness Day by announcing the all-new PlayStation Studios Accessibility Community Council. The dek reads “Powering Accessibility Through Community.”
“The PlayStation Studios Accessibility Community Council is a dedicated, global group of 15 third-party accessibility consultants with a broad range of access needs working in ongoing partnership with our studios. The Council combines lived experience with deep expertise, helping game development teams move beyond assumptions and design with greater confidence and clarity,” SIE wrote. “The Council’s insights are embedded directly into development. Through Accessibility Play Days and targeted research, council members provide feedback on in-development games, helping teams identify barriers early and prioritise meaningful improvements. Alongside this, they work with Studios through talks and Inclusive Design Workshops, building accessibility knowledge and confidence across teams. The Council also serves as an ongoing forum for discussion, sharing perspectives on emerging topics, community sentiment, and player experience across PlayStation.”
Among the Council’s members are my friend James Rath, as well as Steve Saylor. Longtime readers may recall Saylor’s name appearing in a feature story I wrote in 2024 about the inner workings of AbleGamers. He’s a renowned video game consultant.
For Sony’s part, it says in its post its North Star is “[building a] future for players of all abilities,” adding accessibility is “a core part of this mission, ensuring more players can enjoy, engage with, and see themselves reflected in the games we create.”
“When we understand the perspectives from gamers with lived experience it leads to the creation of new and innovative accessibility features,” the company said.
In related news, one of the accessibility features Apple announced this week is support for Sony’s Access Controller for PlayStation. In 2023, I published a deep dive story chronicling the development of the accessory, including interviews with executives.
