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Risk of Rain 2
A Co-Op Roguelike Gets Console Polish and Multiplayer Fixes
6
award
nominations
4M
copies
sold
93%
rating
on Steam
/ Testimonials /
A “superb shooter” with 3D gameplay “pulled off flawlessly”
8/10
“The transition to 3D gameplay has been pulled off flawlessly, and the sheer diversity of gameplay options combined with the strong online multiplayer ensure that this is one you'll keep coming back to for quite some time.”
10/10
“One of, if not the best, Rougelikes on Switch, if not ever. It perfectly combines the Shooter Genre with Rougelikes that gets the best from both allowing for one of the most addictive and satisfying gameplay loops that gaming can offer. ”
9/10
“Risk of Rain 2 is a superb shooter. The gameplay is so diverse. Runs get increasingly harder, but the pacing is exceptional.”
8.5/10
“Risk of Rain 2 is fast, fluid and a lot of fun. This is amplified vastly in multiplayer, which works flawlessly and is very enjoyable. If you enjoy roguelikes you will enjoy Risk of Rain 2.”
/ Project overview /
Pingle & Devoted Studios
About the game
Risk of Rain 2 is a fast-paced third-person roguelike where players fight through hordes of monsters, unlock new loot, and escape alien planets, alone or with friends. Released in 2019 by Hopoo Games and published by Gearbox, the game quickly earned a passionate fanbase for its dynamic combat and addictive multiplayer.
Client
Devoted Studios
Solution
Optimization
Engine
Platforms
Partnership timeline
6 months
About the Pingle & Devoted Studios partnership
Devoted Studios brought Pingle on board to help improve Risk of Rain 2’s multiplayer experience on consoles, a key part of the game’s appeal. Over 6 months (plus a bug-fixing phase), Pingle’s team reengineered the networking systems, optimized performance for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, and ensured stable multiplayer within each platform ecosystem.
/ The Challenge /
Re-architecting multiplayer for every major console in 6 months
Devoted Studios found the console multiplayer unstable and laggy, so they asked Pingle to rebuild it from the ground up.
- First challenge – implement platform-specific online architecture for Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation
- Then, choose the right multiplayer backend to support all consoles
- Next, avoid cross-team conflicts during parallel multiplayer testing
- After that, optimize asset packaging for Nintendo Switch certification
- Finally, create a way to track and report performance improvements in real time
Here’s how we turned a fragmented system into smooth cross-platform multiplayer.
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/ Phase 1 /
Multiplayer rebuilt from the ground up for Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam
The original online architecture was unstable. It was platform-dependent, full of legacy code, and difficult to manage across consoles.
So we started with a clean-up. We audited the entire codebase, removed outdated components, and rebuilt a multiplatform online architecture based on the Steam model. It worked across all target platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam) with custom tweaks for each.
Xbox multiplayer rebuilt from scratch due to outdated XDK implementation
Legacy PlayStation code debugged and optimized to remove performance bottlenecks
Platform-specific online features unified under a single architecture
/ Phase 2 /
Pingle integrated PlayFab to deliver consistent multiplayer on six platforms
To future-proof the game and enable multiplayer features, we needed a backend that worked out of the box with Unity and all major consoles.
We chose Microsoft’s PlayFab. Its stability, documentation, and console compatibility made it the clear winner. It enabled us to integrate core features like matchmaking, voice chat, and party management without reinventing the wheel.
PlayFab rolled out to support all multiplayer functionality across platforms
Enabled plans for future crossplay by bypassing platform-locked systems
/ Phase 3 /
Pingle built multiplayer sandboxes to cut testing time by 80%
With multiple teams working in parallel, testing multiplayer became a bottleneck. Quickplay lobbies overlapping, testers stepping on each other’s toes, in one word – chaos.
So we added a simple feature: unique lobby IDs based on local file names. That allowed us to isolate test environments and run multiple sessions simultaneously without interference.
Custom MP sandboxes reduced testing time from 5 hours to under 1 hour
Merge conflicts and test queues have cut down drastically
/ Phase 4 /
Pingle’s custom asset tool cut Switch build time from hours to 40 minutes
The existing asset packaging tool bundled unused textures and models, bloating the build and slowing down deployment, especially for Nintendo Switch. Each asset change used to take several hours to process, delaying iteration and risking certification issues.
We redesigned the tool with a better UI, faster asset filtering, and smarter packaging logic. As a result, change time dropped from hours to just 40 minutes, enabling faster builds and cleaner deliveries.
Build size and junk files reduced significantly
Tool reused for future optimization work across platforms
/ Phase 5 /
Pingle developed a custom performance plugin to track and prove optimization results
Unity’s built-in performance tracking tools weren’t sufficient, especially when working across multiple consoles with platform-specific bottlenecks. So we developed a custom in-house plugin.
It gathered data on FPS, CPU, and GPU load directly from each console, cross-referenced it with QA feedback, and presented it all as visual reports for the client.
Real-time metrics helped track optimization progress over time
Clear performance charts and test scenes showcased results to stakeholders
/ The results /
With Pingle’s support, Devoted Studios brings multiplayer to Risk of Rain 2 across all platforms
Before
After
Multiplayer system was unstable and inconsistent across platforms
Achieved smooth multiplayer performance across 6 platforms in 6 months
Xbox online system built on outdated XDK tech
Rebuilt from scratch using modern architecture tailored for Xbox
PlayStation multiplayer suffered from delays and legacy code
Refactored and cleaned up the codebase to eliminate bottlenecks
No backend for consistent cross-platform support
Cross-platform multiplayer now runs on a unified, scalable PlayFab backend
Multiplayer testing caused conflicts and slowdowns
Testing time reduced by 80% with isolated sandbox environments
Switch builds took hours and were bloated with unused assets
Build time on Switch cut from hours to 40 minutes, with optimized asset packaging
No tools to track optimization impact across consoles
Custom plugin tracks FPS, CPU, and GPU usage directly from consoles in real time
/ The team /
Cast
- 5 Developers
- 3 Technical artists
- 4 QA
- 1 Sound designer
- 1 Game designer
- 1 UI/UX designer
- 1 Project manager
/ Cases /
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