Mattel has anonunced that 80% of its global games portfolio will be colourblind accessible by the end of the year, and 90% in 2025, as part of its commitment to create more inclusive play experiences.
This shift will include Uno and many more fan-favorites such as Phase 10, Dos, Blokus, and Tumblin’ Monkeys.
Knowing that approximately 300 million people around the world experience some form of colourblindness, Mattel is working to break down barriers to game play and help advance awareness of those affected by colourblindness.
When creating these recent portfolio-wide changes, Mattel partnered with several experts in the colour vision deficiency field, consulted with individuals who experience colourblindness, including Mattel designers who themselves are colourblind, and developed custom solutions for games, such as patterns, tactile clues, and symbols, to ensure colour was not the only way to differentiate cards or components.
This also follows a revolutionary launch from Uno in 2017 with Uno colourADD, that was specifically designed for the colourblind community.
“At Mattel, we are proud that our portfolio of games continues to bring people together – transcending languages and cultures – and this initiative to offer more colourblind accessible games is another proof point on our inclusivity journey,” said Ray Adler, vice president and global head of games at Mattel.
“We’re proud to help spread awareness for the colourblind community and make our products accessible for more people, so that all fans can come together and enjoy universal gameplay.”
In the spirit of this exciting initiative and leading into the start of summer camp season, Mattel Games will be donating colourblind accessible games to YMCA summer camps across the US.
The donation will serve as an important resource to celebrate this milestone and empower children to reach their full potential through inclusive play.
“Mattel is committed to designing products that better reflect the world today and create positive social impact. This includes bringing more representative and inclusive products to market across Mattel brands,” said Mason Williams, global head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Mattel.
This announcement coincides with Mattel’s Play It Forward Global Volunteer Week, 24-28 June, which enables its iconic brands to give back to communities that need it most.
Play It Forward is a designated period each year during which Mattel’s global offices host a week of opportunities for employees to share their time and talents to support local nonprofits serving children and their families.
In addition, all mobile versions of Mattel’s fan-favorite card games including Uno! Mobile, Phase 10 Mobile, and Skip-Bo Mobile will feature colourblind identification. Led by mobile game developer and publisher Mattel163, Mattel’s joint venture with NetEase, the new ‘Beyond colours’ mobile decks each display a unique and unified set of symbols, such as squares and triangles for easy identification and differentiation between the classic card colours.
