Unity has announced the closed beta of Safe Voice, the first product from a suite of toxicity solutions that uses “context-aware” technology to catch in-game toxicity. Following its closed beta, Unity plans to release Safe Voice through Unity Gaming Services.
According to the press release, Safe Voice uses “advanced machine-learning algorithms” to offer “proactive and player-initiated toxicity detection.” Safe Voice was built to integrate seamlessly with Unity’s Vice Chat solution Vivox, analyzing the tone, loudness, pitch, intonation, emotion, and context of player interactions, to deliver nuanced insights rapidly.
Jeff Collins, SVP and GM, Unity Gaming Services gave a statement on the Safe Voice program and its hopeful impact on combating online toxicity.
“At Unity we are leading the way with best-in-class solutions to support studios in their fight to protect their communities from toxic and disruptive behavior in games,” said Collins. “Safe Voice is exemplary of how we’re tackling this challenge with cutting-edge technology that intuitively makes what was once a laborious and resource-intensive process more efficient, effective and scalable. We are excited to empower studios with a tool that simplifies combatting toxicity and helps pave the way for building safer and more inclusive gaming environments.”
Additionally, Tony Jones, Lead Producer of the free-to-play tactical shooter Rogue Company, gave a statement on the impact of Safe Voice after it was recently implemented in Rogue Company.
“Safe Voice is a breakthrough tool that has helped us better understand our community,” said Jones. “The tool gives us visibility into what’s happening in the game, not only from a trust and safety perspective but also from a general gameplay perspective. The extra data points in the Safe Voice dashboard have been critical for helping moderators identify higher-risk users and incidents quickly, allowing us to mitigate situations before they have a chance to escalate in a much more efficient and effective way.”
This is the latest step in the gaming industry to combat in-game toxicity. Yesterday, Microsoft announced its own voice moderation program focused on online multiplayer games. For more information about Safe Voice, visit its official product page. Developers can request beta access to Safe Voice via its official site.