In an exciting development, Microsoft revealed today that Forza Horizon 5 will get a free update that adds ASL and BSL support for in-game cinematics.

In an exciting development, Microsoft revealed today that Forza Horizon 5 will get a free update that adds American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) support for its in-game cinematics.

“For [deaf gamers], it’s a really tiring experience, not being able to access your first language,” Forza consultant Cameron Akitt says. “We should be able to access the same story beats and narrative components. Otherwise, we’re only getting half the picture and not getting the full experience. Including sign language is about enabling more deaf and hard of hearing people to have ownership over their gaming experience.”

The update arrives tomorrow, March 1, and features actors from the deaf and hard of hearing community signing in parts of the story between driving, such as jumping into challenges, getting ready for a race, meeting other players, and racing across Mexico while planes fly overhead, Microsoft says.

“It’s surreal and fascinating to see a deaf actor in the corner signing BSL in the game,” Akitt says. “It’s fantastic – another language option.”

You can learn more about this functionality from the Microsoft website or via this YouTube video overview:

Tagged with Accessibility, Forza Horizon 5