Games Porting
The Survivalists
Hits Apple Arcade (iOS, macOS, and tvOS) in Just 3 Months
Read More
Eldest Souls
Reaches PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox One X/S in 4 Months
Same-day
release
on all platforms
76/100
score
on Metacritic
Retro Roots
Winner
2020
/ Testimonials /
A must-play for people who like Furi, Soulslikes, or boss rush games
The Xbox Hub
9/10
The action and difficulty should keep you easily hooked to play Eldest Souls right through to the end.
WellPlayed
90/100
A surprisingly complex and mechanically perfect condensation of the Soulsborne experience into the boss rush genre.
HazyNorseman, Steam
Recommended
This game is really good. A must-play for people who like Furi, Soulslikes, or boss rush games
IGN
80/100
A gorgeous souls-like that’s all about the (infuriatingly good) boss battles.
/ Project overview /
Pingle & United Label
About the game
Eldest Souls is a 2D pixel-art souls-like where players face a series of powerful deity bosses in stylized duels, with the focus on perfecting dodge timing, progressing through three skill trees, and reacting to telegraphed attacks. Developed by Fallen Flag Studio and published by United Labeweeweel, the game won in the Retro Roots category at the Pixel Awards Europe 2020.
Client
United Label
Solution
Porting
Engine
Platforms
Release
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch
July 29, 2021
Partnership timeline
Month-Month, 2021
About Pingle & United Label partnership
United Label and Fallen Flag wanted a synchronized launch across all consoles, with native controller feel and smooth performance. They asked Pingle to handle the porting, optimization, and certification work under a tight deadline.
/ The Challenge /
Six platforms, one launch date
In 2020, Eldest Souls was first announced for PC and Nintendo Switch. By early 2021, Fallen Flag and United Label raised the stakes: a simultaneous release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
The plan was bold, but… Unity builds weren’t compatible with new console SDKs, plugins needed rewrites, and the rendering pipeline struggled with fixed console hardware limits. Moreover, published TRC guidelines for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S were still new and evolving, leaving grey areas.
The task: make Eldest Souls feel natural on every controller, pass certification without delays, and hit all six platforms on day one.
A tall order, but exactly our kind of fight.
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/ Phase 1 /
Custom patches to keep development on track
When Fallen Flag’s original build moved toward consoles, some of Unity plugins weren’t yet compatible with PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S SDKs. Plugins needed updates or replacements, and without them certification could have been delayed by weeks. We had to move fast:
1
Reached out to plugin creators to request console-ready builds
2
Negotiated fixes or workarounds directly with third-party teams
3
Wrote custom patches when official support wasn’t available
As a result, Eldest Souls kept moving toward certification without delays.
/ Phase 2 /
Performance reworked for console hardware
Eldest Souls’ PC-first architecture assumed flexible memory and GPU headroom. On consoles, that led to stutter and resource bottlenecks.
We profiled the game across all console builds and systematically optimized memory streaming, draw calls, and asset management. By the end, Eldest Souls felt fluid on both PS4 and PS5, with responsive input tuned for each controller, including haptics and adaptive triggers on DualSense.
/ Phase 3 /
First-try certification, despite incomplete TRC
At the time, Sony and Microsoft’s updated TRC for next-gen consoles were still incomplete. That left gaps that could have derailed a same-day launch.
Instead of waiting, we adapted previous-gen certification standards, stress-tested across dev kits, and documented every new compliance quirk we discovered. The result: Eldest Souls passed certification without major blockers.
/ The results /
One soulslike, 6 platforms, same release day
Before
After
Unity plugins not compatible with next-gen SDKs
Plugins patched, updated, or replaced to run smoothly on all target platforms
Risk of performance dips on consoles
Stable performance across consoles, with DualSense features enabled
Incomplete TRC requirements for next-gen consoles
Passed certification on first try, no major blockers
Simultaneous release goal at risk of delay
Same-day launch across six platforms worldwide
/ The team /
Cast
- Unity C# programmers
- Unity technical artists
- Game Testers
- Project Manager
/ Cases /
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