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

Skulls of the Shogun, a turn-based strategy game by 17-Bit, ported to PS4 and Nintendo Switch by Sickhead Games

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, bringing Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to console and handheld including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. From codebase assessment to post-launch support, we're trusted by solo indies and major publishers alike, including 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 shipped over 100 releases, among them Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, Axiom Verge, Space Engineers, and Celeste. We specialize in bringing retro masterpieces, indie darlings, and PC classics to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.