Community

Together with our 70+ studios across 26 countries, in 2023, we set out the objective to align our core community efforts with three overarching causes on a corporate level, as sought by employees: Environment, Health, and Advocacy.

To ensure such social initiatives are impactful, Keywords offers a financial assistance scheme through the Keywords Cares donation matching programme where Keywords employees can choose a registered charity that is personally meaningful to them. In 2023, through the combined efforts of individual and team charitable efforts, and matches through Keywords Cares, we donated €88,600 to registered charities around the world, a material increase on the previous year.

Our key environmental initiative was a global initiative linked to our historic roots. It has been 25 years since the business was founded, and to celebrate this anniversary, Keywords partnered with One Tree Planted to plant 25,000 trees in 2023. These trees were planted across seven chosen locations near to where Keywords has studios in Ireland, Canada, Brazil, India, the Philippines, Romania, and Australia. The planted trees will contribute toward forest fire recovery, resistance against climate change, and supply food and socioeconomic sustenance.

In terms of health, the Group supported a range of initiatives, including focused efforts on a global campaign in support of Movember. Teams from eight different countries, as well as individual participants, spent a month fundraising, growing moustaches, and taking part in fitness challenges to benefit men's mental and physical health programmes. Many employees walked 60 kilometres in tribute to the 60 men lost every hour to suicide to promote awareness of this important topic. In total, Keywords Movember participants walked and ran 2,670 kilometres worldwide and participants more than doubled our 2022 fundraising efforts with over €18,000 donated to the cause.

Our advocacy initiatives were broadranging during the year, with the majority of efforts focused on inclusion, accessibility and supporting underrepresented communities. In collaboration with the International Game Developers Association Foundation, studios participated in its Virtual Exchange, a development programme for grantees from underrepresented communities worldwide. Thirty-three Keywords Mentors across 20 studios and 10 different countries offered six weeks of mentorship in the 2023 Virtual Exchange. Subject Matter Experts from Director level to junior leadership were paired with grantees for the programme, to uplift, educate and empower the next generation of video game leaders. 

Descriptive Video Works

Descriptive Video Works (DVW) have specialised in audio description for TV, movies, advertisements, PSAs, video games and educational videos for more than 20 years. With guidance from an advisory council of blind professionals and passionate AD consumers, DVW have set the highest standards in the audio description industry and continue to help shape the best practices used around the world.

Player Research

Inclusivity is at the core of Player Research, where accessibility means deliberately designing games to include disabled players. Wherever you’re at in your accessible games development and design journey, Advancing Accessibility at Player Research helps you create inclusive player experiences – bringing your vision of gaming to diverse player communities.