A guide to console porting

Porting is the process of adapting an existing game — usually released on PC first — to run on a different platform, such as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation or Xbox. It is not a straight copy: each platform has its own hardware, controls, achievement and save systems and certification rules, and that is what makes porting serious technical work rather than an administrative step.

What porting is (and what it is not)

Porting is not the same as a remaster (a version with noticeable visual improvements) or a remake (the game rebuilt from scratch). In most cases the goal of a port is to deliver the same experience as the original game, running stably within the technical limits of the new platform. That can range from targeted performance tuning to rewriting parts of the code when the original engine has no official support for the target console.

Technical factors that define the difficulty

Some elements weigh more than others when estimating the effort of a port:

• The engine used. Games in Unity or Unreal Engine usually have a more direct path to consoles, since those engines have official support from the manufacturers. In-house engines or less common frameworks require more manual adaptation work.
• Controls. A game designed for mouse and keyboard needs a control scheme rethought for a physical controller — that goes beyond remapping buttons and often involves redesigning part of the interface.
• Performance targets per platform. Each console has a different hardware ceiling, and the Nintendo Switch in particular demands extra attention because it runs in handheld mode (more limited battery and processing) as well as TV mode.
• Save and achievement systems. Each platform has its own cloud save and achievement/trophy system, and integrating them correctly is a mandatory part of certification, not an extra.
• Memory and loading times. On more limited hardware especially, optimising memory use and loading times tends to take up a good share of the porting schedule.

How much it costs to port a game to console

The cost of a port varies a great deal, and depends mainly on four things: the original game's engine, how well the game's design already suits a physical controller, how many platforms are being targeted at once, and how many certification cycles (Lotcheck, TRC, XR) the project needs before approval. A simple 2D game in Unity, already designed with a controller in mind, tends to cost a fraction of what it costs to port a complex 3D game built on an in-house engine.

At Nuntius, that cost is not your bill: porting is funded by us, as an investment within the partnership. The studio does not need to raise money or approve a budget to see the game running on console.

That is why the conversation about porting here does not start with a figure. It starts with the game: if it makes sense on console, the cost is our problem.

How long a port takes

As with cost, the timeline depends on the technical scope and on how many platforms are involved at once. Each external certification adds a cycle of its own — it is common for a game to go through more than one submission round before approval, especially the first time a studio launches on a given platform.

That is why this page does not pin down a number either. The distance between a 2D Unity game already designed for a controller and a 3D game on an in-house engine is wide enough that any average published here would come out misleading for one of the two. Your project's timeline comes from the technical assessment, at the start of the conversation, not from a table.

When porting your game makes sense

Porting costs time and resources, so the timing is worth thinking about. Some signs that a game is ready to consider a port:

• The PC release has already validated the game — good reviews, an active player base, or a meaningful wishlist before launch.
• The game's design translates well to a physical controller, without depending on complex keyboard shortcuts or mouse precision.
• There is room (in time and in team) to take on an additional QA and certification cycle without compromising support for the game already released.

How Nuntius Games handles the porting process

Porting is one of Nuntius Games' four work fronts, alongside publishing, marketing/PR and QA. That means the technical work of adapting the build normally moves in step with preparing the store page on the target console and with the certification process itself — the studio does not have to navigate each manufacturer's specific requirements alone.

In practice, the path is run end to end by Nuntius: adapting the build, QA cycles, submission to the manufacturer's certification, fixing the points raised and resubmitting until approval comes through. The studio follows along and receives the builds on the way, but does not need to learn the Lotcheck, TRC or XR requirements to see the game go live.

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