The True Port Ability of the Switch

Can you believe it, we are at the 3rd anniversary of the Switch, the little gaming platform from Nintendo that started out as a complete unknown, but quickly gained attention from everywhere. Developers were not slow to start supporting the platform either, we saw some amazing original games hit day one with The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and things just kept getting better, but more than that, we saw a healthy number of titles brought over here from other platforms, something that Nintendo has issues with in the past. But what makes the Switch such a great place for these games, is it Nintendo being more open to developers than ever before, is it the Nvidia Tegra X1 chip that powers it, or perhaps it is falling onto the developers themselves, who are creating the content, regardless, there are now plenty of ports on Switch and it is a great thing.

Porting games might seem like the easiest thing to do, almost every developer does it, from one-person indie studios, to teams that span the globe, that are made up of thousands of people. It is common for some studios to port in house, but then there are studios, who amongst making some original content, are known for being able to bring games to other platforms, with tight turnaround times, and the more important part, being feature complete, but just what is the process for that like. I decided to find out and reached out to both Tantalus Media and Virtuos Games, studios known for bringing content to the Switch as well as others. If the names sound familiar to you, that is because both studios have been prominent in the porting scene for a number of years. Nintendo fans will know Tantalus Media, from their work on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, but on top of that, their recent efforts include Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for PC and all the consoles editions of Cities Skylines. Virtuos Games is a name that has been on a massive number of games, including the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, but some of their more recent ports include Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age and LA Noire, both for consoles. Given that both studios have been hard at work, they have unique perspectives on things, including those crucial first steps.

When I asked how they began the porting process, Tom Crago the CEO of Tantalus Media answered with “The starting point is usually the game engine and tool set for the original title. That instructs our process, sending us down a prescribed path.” So taking a look at what has been done, or being done if it is still in active development is crucial and such is the case with Virtuos as Elijah Freeman, VP of their Games Division explains “We require a thorough analysis of the project at the outset to fully understand the ins and outs of the game. This happens prior to engineering any sort of technical solution. With this approach we can manage the complexity or difficulty of the project, regardless of the size.”

Those statements highlight that groundwork is important, which I suppose can be applied to anything in life really, but with ports that seems to be the most critical aspect. Of course, we have had some ports of some very big names come to Switch, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was perhaps the first one we knew about, but the first massive release that hit the portable platform was that of DOOM, the 2016 release, from Bethesda and iD Software. This was the first time we saw that the platform could run a game, that was traditionally thought of as, a AAA game and too powerful for it, while it might not be the best-looking version out there, it was one heck of a port. Five days later, LA Noire hit the Switch, courtesy of Virtuos Games and while it was a great release, there were some issues, but why they remained is unclear, but it does happen from time to time, but with those three major releases in a matter of weeks, it proved the Switch could handle the big names.

It was a year later when Virtuos, delivered two more big games, Dark Souls: Remastered and then Starlink: Battle for Atlas, both very different games, but technically amazing. Dark Souls: Remastered, was by its own name, a remaster, where as Starlink: Battle for Atlas was a new title, that was being developed on Switch by Virtuos, while the other platforms were handled in house at Ubisoft. Both games were being done at similar times, which begs the question, how do you plan for that, does a port or remaster take less time than something that is entirely new? Is there a singular script that you can use when working on already completed content, than when it is all new.

Once again, Elijah from Virtuos explains “Each game and project is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach is not an option. That being said, schedules tend to be more bespoke when it comes to bringing new or very recent games to the Switch. For example, when we worked with Ubisoft on Starlink: Battle for Atlas, the assets we were working with were brand new and we were essentially working in parallel with their core development teams. However, with remasters where we are taking beloved games from the past and bringing them up to date, there can be a more pre-planned approach.”

But it is not just Virtuos, the same idea is used at Tantalus, as Tom explains “Each project has its own schedule based on the complexity of the porting task.  Sometimes the tools and engines required to port a game to Switch are ready and development can be straightforward.  Other times, the game may use custom tools and engines which require conversion.  In addition, some publishers will want new features exclusive to Switch which require additional time to develop. Our quickest Switch title was certainly Sonic Mania.” This similar approach is likely the same for other studios around the world and explains why some ports can be announced and released within months, while others can take time, the Saints Row ports fit that bit, the first port took over a year, the second was announced only a few months before its planned release.

But it is not just big AAA games that are being brought over, Tantalus themselves worked on Rime, the very stylised title from the Spanish developer Tequila Works and while not pixel art or such, its visual style was unique. While the initial release had some issues, Tantalus kept at it and released some patches to make the game play much smoother than before, something that players were thankful for. Perhaps though, that none of that address the question, if a game was created for a specific device, why are people asking, ‘When is it coming to Switch?’ The first ports paved the way and now it seems to be a standard question, even high profile releases, like the upcoming DOOM Eternal, on Xbox One, it looks amazing and plays just as well, but one of the first questions after it was announced was when it is coming to Switch.

As the Switch is not the powerhouse that the current platforms are, developers have to be smart about deciding if there game gets ported, but once the decision is made, then another choice is required, what to focus on, performance, or looks. What I am sure is a simple question, clearly doesn’t have the most straight forward of answers, with some of the games we have seen released already, focusing on one so much, that it hurts the other. This was something that I put forth to Tom and the answer was a little different to what I expected “Usually we have a reasonable idea at the start of the project, so there is time to ensure the game remains balanced and compensations can be made.”

Now things might not to plan and both Tom and Elijah noted that it is a matter of working with the original studio, to ensure that the goal is kept in focus, but what if something does go the way it was planned to? Elijah explains “We will exhaust every option we have prior to making suggestions to make even the smallest change to the game. If we do, then the publisher would always have the final decision.”

All these factors combined, explain how the games get ported to Switch, but it doesn’t necessarily explain why games on Switch are so sought after. Could it be as simple as convenience, I mean it is not a matter of having the best-looking game, or the fastest running, but being able to pick up something and have it work. There is a sense of satisfaction in that, it can be linked back to a lightbulb, being able to flick a switch and illuminate the room or grabbing your phone and getting the latest sport scores. The simplicity of something working is, what I think, the key to Switch, the hardware has plenty of options for play, it makes it a device that you can take with you, or sit in that comfy chair at home and just enjoy, without disturbing anyone else.

This approach to simple might mean basic, but that is not the case, Switch has a plethora of input options to consider as well and Elijah perhaps best summed that  “It’s important to remember that the best version of a Switch game may not exactly like the game on Xbox One or PS4, it has the potential to offer something new.” Tom had a similar answer “Our goal very often is to make our version the definitive version of the game; to see it surpass even the original in the eyes of gamers.”

The experience of sitting down in front of your large TV, playing your game of choice, is always going to be someone’s favourite method of gaming, but Switch has broken that concept, because you can still enjoy that sense of immersion, but you can now just enjoy it no matter where you happen to be. For many years, there has always been a sense of games being split, there were those you played at home and those you played on the go, which for the most part meant either a watered down version, or something completely different, but Switch removed that. We now have full gaming experiences thanks to the work of studios like Tantalus Media and Virtuos Games and with three years down, the future is looking even brighter. I want to close out by saying my thanks to both Tom and Elijah, for taking the time to answer my questions and to leave the below thoughts from each, as they are both poignant.