ACCESSING
VALHALLA Chris Wallace finds out about the work that went into producing the audio described trailer for one of this year’s biggest releases
Above and right: Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Diane Johnson from Descriptive Video Works
T
he Assassin’s Creed franchise has in recent years garnered significant praise for its accessibility options. In an industry where these options are still sadly far from the norm, Ubisoft to its credit has gone to some lengths to ensure the series remains accessible to as many players as possible. It was hardly a surprise, then (though no less welcome) when the reveal for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was accompanied by an audio description (AD) trailer. The trailer was put together by Descriptive Video Works, working in collaboration with Ubisoft. The company works to make all kinds of videos accessible and enjoyable to people who are blind and lowvision by adding audio descriptions. We sat down with Diane Johnson, head of studio at Descriptive Video Works to find out more about the work that goes into making Ubisoft’s vikings more accessible.
50 | MCV/DEVELOP September 2020
50-52 Accessibility and Valhalla MCV961 V5 FINAL.indd 50
10/09/2020 09:55
