We build native console runtimes for engines that don't have one.
Some of the best games on PC are built with engines that were never designed for consoles. RPG Maker, Ren'Py, Pygame — they all target desktop and web. When publishers and developers want to bring these games to Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation, Xbox, or mobile, the usual answer is "rewrite it in Unity."
We took a different approach. Instead of rewriting games, we built cross-platform runtimes that execute the original game code natively on console hardware. No translation, no re-implementation, no drift from the original.
The problem with rewrites
A Unity rewrite means re-implementing every game system, every plugin, every visual timing quirk from scratch. It takes months, introduces new bugs that didn't exist in the original, and creates a permanent fork — the developer now has to maintain two codebases or abandon one. Updates to the original game can't flow to the console version without manual porting work for each patch. Our runtime approach eliminates all of that. The original code runs unmodified. The developer ships updates on PC, and those updates work on consoles.
Supported engines
Each runtime is production-ready and built on the same cross-platform core.
RPG Maker MV / MZ
RPG Maker MV and MZ games run on JavaScript inside a Chromium wrapper (NW.js). They use pixi.js for 2D rendering and the Web Audio API for sound. None of that exists on consoles. Our runtime replaces the browser layer with QuickJS, a lightweight JavaScript interpreter that supports ES2020 and — critically — doesn't require JIT compilation, which consoles prohibit. The rendering bridge intercepts pixi.js draw calls and routes them through Rendozer, our proprietary GPU-accelerated renderer. Audio goes through SoLoud. Input goes through SDL2. The game's JavaScript code, including all plugins, runs byte-for-byte identical to the PC version.
Ren'Py
Ren'Py is the most popular visual novel engine in the world, and it can't target consoles out of the box. It runs on CPython with pygame_sdl2 for rendering and input. Our approach: embed CPython as a statically-linked library, keep pygame_sdl2 as the API surface, and swap in Rendozer underneath for hardware-accelerated rendering. Since pygame_sdl2 is already built on SDL2, and we already run SDL2 on every console, the input and window management layer is shared. The game's .rpy scripts and Python logic run without modification.
Pygame
Pygame games use Python with SDL2 for everything: rendering, input, audio. The console runtime is a natural extension of our Ren'Py work — same embedded CPython, same SDL2 layer, same Rendozer rendering. The difference is that Pygame games tend to use lower-level drawing APIs (direct surface blits, pixel manipulation, sprite groups) rather than Ren'Py's high-level scene graph. Our bridge handles both. If your game runs on Pygame, it can run on consoles without changing a line of game code.
Under the hood
All three runtimes share the same native core. The game code sits on top, unmodified. The runtime intercepts API calls and routes them to console-native backends.
Game Code JS (.rpgmakermv/.rpgmakermz) or Python (.rpy) Runs unmodified. Identical to the PC build. | |||
Interpreter QuickJS (JavaScript) or CPython (Python) No JIT. Pure bytecode. Console-safe. | |||
Bridge Layer Intercepts pixi.js / pygame_sdl2 / Web Audio Game thinks it's still in a browser / desktop. | |||
Rendozer Rendering NVN · D3D12 AGC · Metal GLES · Vulkan | SDL2 Input Joy-Con DualSense Touch | SoLoud Audio XAudio2 AAudio CoreAudio | Platform Save Trophies Achievements Cloud |
Rendozer is our proprietary cross-platform renderer. It abstracts over NVN (Switch / Switch 2), Direct3D 12 (Xbox), AGC/Gnm (PS5), Metal (iOS), and OpenGL ES / Vulkan (Android) behind a single API. SDL2 handles input and window management across all platforms. SoLoud is a portable C++ audio engine that talks to each platform's native audio backend.
What this means for you
01 — No code changes
Your game's source code runs unmodified on every platform. No rewriting plugins, no re-implementing battle systems, no re-timing animations. What works on PC works on console.
02 — Keep shipping updates
The original developer continues working independently. Ship patches on PC. We integrate them into the console builds. No branch merging, no parallel codebases, no coordination overhead.
03 — Pixel-perfect fidelity
Because there's no translation step, the console version is visually and mechanically identical to the PC original. Same frame timings, same rendering order, same feel.
04 — Full platform integration
Achievements, trophies, cloud saves, DualSense haptics, Quick Resume, touch controls on mobile — we handle all the platform-specific work that certification requires.
Got a game that needs console ports?
Send us a build or a Steam link. We'll evaluate the game, assess the plugin/library complexity, and put together a proposal with fixed pricing and timeline.
contact@generalarcade.com