Skulls of the Shogun: Porting a Stylish Strategy Game to PS4 and Nintendo Switch

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Title: Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition
Release Date: 2015, 2019
Developer: 17-Bit
Publisher: 17-Bit / Golem Entertainment (Switch)
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Engine: XNA / MonoGame

Skulls of the Shogun is a fast-paced turn-based strategy game from Kyoto-based studio 17-Bit, inspired by Advance Wars and set in a stylized samurai afterlife. It launched on Xbox 360 in 2013 and earned serious critical praise before Sickhead brought the expanded Bone-A-Fide Edition, featuring additional campaign levels, a new unit, multiplayer maps, and a full progression system, to PlayStation 4 in 2015, and then to Nintendo Switch four years later in 2019. Porting a MonoGame-based title across two console generations meant adapting to distinctly different hardware targets: the PS4 port required navigating Sony’s certification pipeline and platform-specific input handling, while the Switch port introduced the added complexity of supporting multiple play modes (TV, handheld, and tabletop) along with Joy-Con and Pro Controller configurations. Turn-based strategy games also carry real multiplayer infrastructure requirements, and getting the networking layer functioning correctly across new platform environments is never a trivial task. Porting the same game twice, years apart, on two different consoles and both shipping clean is a straightforward measure of consistency. That’s what we deliver here.

Sickhead Games is the leading game porting studio, skilled in porting Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to every major console and handheld including Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. We’re trusted by solo indie developers and major publishers alike to handle everything from codebase assessment to post-launch support, bringing great games to the audiences they deserve. Satisfied clients and partners include Humble Games, Sony Interactive, Nintendo, Annapurna, Good Games, ConcernedApe, MegaCrit, 17-Bit, Maddy Makes Games, Zachtronics, Keen Software House, Thomas Happ, Pocketwatch Games, EXOK, Young Horses, Taito, Jaleco, and Microsoft. We’ve ported over 100 releases including Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, TowerFall, Axiom Verge, and Space Engineers, and also specialize in bringing retro console and PC games to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.