A couple of months in the past, Ember Lab launched Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Nintendo Change 2 following its launch on different consoles and PC platforms. Following the Change 2 port’s launch, I had an opportunity to talk with Josh Grier, Ember Lab’s Chief Working Officer, about bringing Kena to Change 2, optimizing for Change 2, a possible bodily launch, Change 2 upscaling, the sequel, and extra.
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RPG Website: Inform us a bit of bit about your self and what you do at Ember Lab.
Josh Grier:
My brother Mike and I based Ember Lab in 2009 as an animation studio. Starting as a small begin up, I’ve performed a bit of little bit of every little thing over time, however total I function the COO of the studio, overseeing studio and venture course whereas additionally staying very concerned in recreation narrative, design, and tech particulars.RPG Website: It has been fairly a journey for Kena for the reason that preliminary PlayStation and PC launches. Are you able to focus on how the unique launch helped make the Xbox and Change 2 ports higher?
Josh Grier:
Whereas growing the sport for its preliminary launch, we discovered quite a bit as the sport was getting ready to be delivered on PS4, PS5, and PC on day one. Pondering throughout platforms helped us know what to look out for and take note of whereas porting over to Xbox and Change 2. We actually worth what we discovered so we might share the sport with a wider viewers of gamers.
RPG Website: Since Kena is on many older and present platforms, did the optimization work for PS4 and Steam Deck assist with the Change 2 port? Are there any plans to enhance the picture high quality?
Josh Grier:
Completely. Attending to be one of many launch titles for PS5 was very thrilling and gave us some nice visible vary resulting from its enhanced processing energy. However as a result of we additionally wanted to ship the PS4 construct, and finally the Steam Deck, our optimization work actually helped us to ship a recreation we have been pleased with on platforms with various technical capabilities.RPG Website: The Change 2 model has plenty of ghosting points proper now. Are there plans to enhance it and handle that?
Josh Grier:
That was one subject we labored exhausting to cut back however by no means fairly eradicated. We’re persevering with to judge potential optimizations submit launch that might assist. At the moment, we don’t have an incredible answer that would cut back it with out compromising the artwork course of the sport.
RPG Website: Are there any plans so as to add gyro assist?
Josh Grier:
We’re additionally trying into including it submit launch if we will match it into our schedule.Commercial. Preserve scrolling for extra
RPG Website: Kena feels proper at dwelling on a Nintendo console. Did the staff attempt to port it to the unique Change earlier than transferring to Change 2?
Josh Grier:
We’ve all the time been large followers of Nintendo, and it’s a dream come true to see Kena on the brand new console! We did some preliminary checks with the Change, however didn’t pursue a full port at the moment. As soon as the Change 2 was introduced, we felt that was an incredible alternative to carry Kena to a model new platform.RPG Website: Are you able to say when the venture started to carry Kena to Change 2 and the way Nintendo helped?
Josh Grier:
We started engaged on the port in the course of 2025. Since we had performed some preliminary investigation right into a port for the unique Change, we have been in place from the beginning. Nintendo helped us with gaining access to growth kits and guiding us by way of the submission and publishing course of. Our companions at Nintendo have been simply as excited as we have been, and an incredible assist, giving us ample suggestions and pointers about bringing Kena over to the Change 2.
RPG Website: I would like to see a bodily launch on a correct cartridge. Has the staff thought-about that?
Josh Grier:
We had response to the bodily launch of Kena on PlayStation. It is good to have one thing bodily you may maintain on to and it additionally makes an incredible reward. We haven’t but determined whether or not a bodily launch is within the playing cards for Change 2 but, but it surely’s good to listen to there’s curiosity on the market!RPG Website: Are you proud of the state of the sport on all platforms now or would you love to do extra with the primary recreation?
Josh Grier:
We’re very pleased with the staff getting Kena out there on so many various platforms. If now we have any additional alternatives to refine any elements of the sport throughout platforms, we’d all the time love to enhance the expertise.RPG Website: How was it working with upscaling applied sciences on Change 2? Was there the rest the {hardware} supplied that shocked you throughout the porting course of?
Josh Grier:
Upscaling on Change 2 is a key piece of the optimization puzzle that helped us get the sport operating at a stable body price. There are fairly just a few choices and settings that have been useful in tuning the look to cut back artifacting. It proved to be an incredible device for us as we have been in a position to render at a decrease decision and to push a better body price.
RPG Website: Clearly everyone seems to be now excited for the sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, that may be a PlayStation Studios launch. What learnings from the primary recreation did you carry into this one?
Josh Grier:
A lot! Since Bridge of Spirits was our first expertise making a full console recreation, virtually every little thing was new. With our devoted small staff, we labored out methods to adapt our filmmaking and animation background into recreation design, recreation tech, and discovered the brand new language of Unreal Engine.Having now launched a recreation on a number of platforms, now we have been in a position to take all of the struggles, failures, and successes we had on Bridge of Spirits, and construct them into our course of transferring ahead. By increasing our scope and staff with the sequel, there’s nonetheless quite a bit we’ve been studying this time round, however we positively have a a lot firmer basis from the teachings we discovered on our first main launch.
RPG Website: How do you and everybody else on the staff like your espresso? Go into as a lot element as attainable.
Thomas:
Americano, no milk or sugar. Scorching or iced, relying on the day.Josh: Espresso macchiato, entire milk, conventional fashion (as a result of that’s the one option to be).
Mike: Vanilla latte, entire milk, gentle candy.
Hunter: Coldbrew, black, further ice.