[Interview] Engine Software talks ports, working with Switch, challenges, more

Have there been any challenges in particular Engine Software has encountered while porting games to Switch?

Out of the three mainstream consoles on the market right now (Switch, PS4, Xbox One) the Switch has the least raw firepower to work with. We have declined certain projects since the graphic fidelity simply would not hold up. That being said, you can do a lot of impossible things with good optimizing and clever engineering – two things we happen to excel at.

What’s a common issue you come across in your porting experience to the Switch?

For every physical release a common issue is ROM size. With the switch being cartridge based the cost of production goes up exponentially if you need a larger ROM. Often this is one of the first things discussed: what is our target ROM size. If you look at a recent port we did with Ni No Kuni on the Switch, we optimized that from roughly 20 GB to around 6 GB. Trails of Cold Steel III is twice as big so uhhh fun times?

What has surprised you the most in your experiences with the console (either good or bad)?

On the technical spectrum we really did not have many surprises since we were aware of the specs and architecture early on. I guess I would say it has surprised me how natural some games just fit the platform, even when they were not originally designed for the Switch. I think it is testament to the hardware design that games feel ‘made for this’ when they really weren’t. I want to stress I am not just thumping my own chest; other studios have done great jobs as well especially in the indie-scene. Celeste and Timespinner come to mind.

What are your thoughts on Switch from a technical perspective?

Well you can’t discuss technical perspectives without talking about tools and development environment, and in my personal opinion Nintendo has done a fantastic job with that for the Switch right from the get-go… even before the system was available. We have come a long way from the time where you got a circuit board with a cable and a manual in Japanese if you wanted to develop for console.

Do you have a favorite port that the team has worked on?

Oh that is such an unfair question…that’s like asking who my favorite child is! We’ve worked on so many great projects with great people… Terraria stands out since it was our first real porting job and its such a great game with such a great community. 8-Bit Armies was great because the original dev team who are almost all former Westwood Studios guys were our first friends in the industry and that was the first time we worked together. Killer7 was great because well, it’s Killer7… and after the game was out I met with Suda51 and to hear him say he thought we did such an amazing job on it… it’s very fulfilling. I could say Into the Breach was our best port since it fits so well on the Switch, but that was more the genius focus in terms of design and gameplay that Matt and Justin did I really can’t take credit. So in the end I will get philosophical and say that my favorite port is the next one.

Without naming specifics, Is Engine Software working on any additional Switch ports beyond The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III? Does the company want to continue making ports for the system going forward?
We never have only one game in development so there is plenty more to come besides Trails of Cold Steel III for Switch. We are already talking about several other projects with clients worldwide that we are very excited about.

Sony and Microsoft are both planning new consoles for 2020. Do you think Switch ports will continue to be viable once their platforms are released?

In my opinion the Nintendo Switch, like the Wii before, exists in its own dimension of the market and will continue to do well even when the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are released. As so many times before Nintendo’s consoles have just their own uniqueness that doesn’t depend on having the fastest processor or the largest memory. That’s why I always have to smile when I hear someone say Nintendo is done.

Is Engine Software interested in pursuing any original projects outside of ports in the future?

On a small scale and in collaboration with people or teams that compliment our own: absolutely. Just this year we released Banana Kong Blast for the mobile market, which was completely developed in-house, but in close collaboration with FDG Entertainment. An in-house developed original IP is not something you will see from us anytime soon. We’ll never say never of course but right now we are 100% focused on the areas we excel in.