What we do
Every game that stays on a single platform leaves money on the table. Console exclusives miss the PC audience. Mobile hits go unnoticed by console players. PC masterpieces rarely reach the millions who game on smartphones. EJAW’s game porting services exist to close that gap — precisely, efficiently, and without compromising the experience your players already love.
Porting is not a simple recompile. It requires deep understanding of hardware architectures, platform-specific APIs, input paradigms, certification pipelines, and performance budgets that differ dramatically from one platform to another. Our team has shipped ported titles across mobile, PC, and console ecosystems — and we bring that cross-platform fluency to every project we take on.
By the numbers
Platforms & Expertise
Console porting is among the most demanding forms of platform migration. Each major console has its own SDK, certification requirements, input model, memory constraints, and submission process. EJAW handles the full pipeline — from initial architecture assessment through to platform holder approval — so you can focus on your game while we manage the technical complexity.
| Platform | Key Challenges | What We Handle | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 4 / 5 | GNM/GNMX API, Trophy system, DualSense haptics | Rendering pipeline, controller adaptation, PSN integration | Submission Support |
| Xbox Series X/S / One | DirectX 12, Xbox Live integration, Smart Delivery | GDK setup, achievements, cross-gen optimization | Submission Support |
| Nintendo Switch | ARM architecture, hybrid mode, memory constraints (4GB) | Performance profiling, Joy-Con support, docked/handheld modes | Submission Support |
| PC (Steam / Epic) | Hardware fragmentation, anti-cheat, overlay APIs | Steamworks integration, scalable settings, keyboard/mouse UI | Store QA |
| iOS & Android | Touch input, battery/thermal limits, OS fragmentation | Touch UI redesign, monetization hooks, App Store review prep | Store QA |
PlayStation 5 introduces significant changes over PS4 — the custom SSD architecture, DualSense haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers create opportunities for genuinely elevated gameplay. Our team integrates these features where they add value, not just for the sake of certification compliance. PS4 legacy porting is equally supported for studios targeting the still-active installed base of over 110 million units.
Porting to Switch is uniquely demanding because the hardware runs as both a home console and a handheld device — often with the same binary. Our engineers work within Nintendo’s tight memory budget and optimize rendering pipelines for the Tegra X1 SoC, ensuring games look and feel native in both modes. We also handle the Joy-Con pairing logic, gyroscope input, and HD Rumble where applicable.
The Xbox ecosystem spans Series X, Series S, Xbox One, and Windows via the Microsoft Game Development Kit. We leverage DirectX 12 Ultimate features on Series X while ensuring the game degrades gracefully on older hardware. Xbox Game Pass integration, achievement implementation, and Xbox Live multiplayer infrastructure are handled as part of our standard console porting service for the Microsoft ecosystem.
How it works
A porting engagement is not a black box. We follow a structured, transparent process with clear milestones, regular builds for review, and defined quality gates before any platform submission. Here is what working with EJAW looks like from first contact to live release.
Before any porting work begins, our engineers conduct a thorough audit of the source codebase, asset pipeline, third-party dependencies, and engine version. We identify platform-incompatible libraries, estimate the scope of rendering and input changes needed, and flag any middleware licenses that require separate platform SKUs. You receive a detailed written report with effort estimates, risk areas, and a recommended approach before you commit to the full project.
This is the core engineering phase: replacing platform-specific APIs, rebuilding the rendering backend for the target GPU architecture, restructuring memory management, and adapting the threading model. We work closely with your lead developer to resolve ambiguities, maintain version-controlled branches, and deliver incremental builds so you can track progress. Asset re-compression and LOD adjustments are handled in parallel by our art pipeline team.
We profile CPU and GPU frame time, memory allocation, I/O throughput, and thermal behavior on target hardware — not emulators. Bottlenecks are addressed at the level where they actually exist: shader optimization, draw call batching, asset streaming, or async task scheduling. For console porting, we target platform-specific frame rate requirements and validate stability across all game states including loading, transitions, and high-particle-count scenes.
Our QA team runs the game against the platform holder’s Technical Requirements Checklist (TRC for PlayStation, TCR for Xbox, Lotcheck for Nintendo). This is a structured process that catches compliance failures before submission, saving weeks of back-and-forth with platform certification teams. We also run regression testing, edge-case scenario coverage, and multiplayer stress tests where applicable, delivering a complete test report alongside the submission build.
We prepare submission packages, manage correspondence with platform certification teams, and resolve any certification failures quickly. After launch, EJAW remains available for patch support, DLC porting, and platform-mandated compliance updates that may arise from firmware changes or SDK deprecations. Our goal is to be a long-term porting partner, not just a one-time vendor.
Technical Scope
EJAW’s porting team has hands-on experience with every major game engine and all relevant target platforms. We do not outsource porting work to sub-contractors — the engineers who quote your project are the engineers who build it.
Genre coverage
Different game genres place different demands on the porting process. An action shooter requires frame-perfect input latency. A city builder needs robust save systems and UI scaling. A multiplayer title demands platform-specific networking integration. EJAW has ported games across every major genre, and we tailor our approach accordingly.
| Genre | Primary Porting Concern | Our Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Action / FPS | Input latency, aim assist tuning, 60fps stability | Profiled per-platform; controller aim curves calibrated with playtest feedback |
| RPG / Open World | Streaming, draw distance, save system complexity | Async asset streaming rebuilt for target I/O speeds; platform save API integration |
| Puzzle / Casual | UI scaling, touch vs controller input, accessibility | Adaptive UI layouts; input method auto-detection and graceful switching |
| Multiplayer / Online | Platform network APIs, cross-play compliance, anti-cheat | Platform SDK networking integration; compliance review for cross-play policies |
| Simulation / Strategy | Complex UI, large game states, performance on mid-range hardware | UI rebuilt for controller navigation; data structure optimization for memory budgets |
| Adventure / Narrative | Audio sync, subtitle rendering, localization pipelines | Platform-native audio APIs; localization-friendly text rendering and font pipeline |
Why EJAW
We manage the entire porting project internally — analysis, engineering, QA, and submission. You deal with one team and one point of contact, not a chain of sub-contractors.
Our QA process explicitly checks that the ported version matches the source game’s feel, pacing, and difficulty curve — not just its technical stability. We catch regressions before your players do.
We do not rely on emulators or simulation for performance work. Every optimization decision is validated on actual PS5 devkits, Xbox development consoles, and Nintendo Switch hardware.
Our submission builds include pre-certification TRC/TCR/Lotcheck reports, making first-pass approval significantly more likely and reducing the time between build-complete and store-live.
Clients have access to a shared project board with milestone tracking, weekly playable builds, and issue logs. There are no hidden delays — you see exactly where the project stands at any given time.
Platform SDKs update, firmware changes break assumptions, and DLC needs porting too. EJAW offers ongoing post-launch maintenance contracts so your ported title stays compliant and current long after the initial release.
FAQ
Timeline depends on source codebase complexity, target platform, and the degree of platform-specific feature integration required. A well-structured Unity or Unreal game with clean code can be ported in 8–16 weeks. Custom-engine titles or projects with deep platform-specific integrations may take 4–9 months. We provide a precise estimate after the technical assessment phase — never before we have reviewed the source project.
Our primary objective is functional and experiential parity with the source build. In practice, this means maintaining the same frame rate targets, input responsiveness, audio mix, and gameplay balance. Visual fidelity is adapted to suit the target platform’s hardware — a Switch port will render at a lower resolution than a PS5 build, but the visual design language and art direction remain consistent. We never compromise gameplay feel for the sake of cutting scope.
Yes — porting requires direct access to the source project, including build environment configuration and asset source files. We sign comprehensive NDAs before receiving any materials and work within your version control system where preferred. Intellectual property protections are standard in all EJAW service agreements.
In most cases, yes — but middleware portability must be evaluated per-library. Some third-party SDKs (physics engines, audio middleware, analytics tools) have console-specific versions that require separate licensing. We identify all middleware dependencies during the technical assessment and advise on licensing requirements before work begins, so there are no unexpected costs mid-project.
Certification failures are addressed as part of the project scope. We pre-screen submissions against published TRC/TCR/Lotcheck checklists and resolve known failure conditions before submission. In the event of an unexpected failure, our team resolves the reported issues and resubmits at no additional charge, provided the failure relates to work within our original scope. This is outlined explicitly in our service agreement.