2+ MILLION DOWNLOADS: MMO strategy game porting results
Pirates of Everseas game porting from Windows to MacOS case study
Porting video games is one of the most valuable components of game development that helps to widen the borders due to flexibility and cross-platform functionality. From web to mobile, from console to PC, from console to mobile – porting ensures higher attraction of players and speeds up the ROI.
Top reasons for porting games nowadays:
- Lower development costs and overall project cost-effectiveness
- Expanding access to the game
- Reaching more audience among the players of new platforms
- Possibility to update and breathe a new life into games released some time ago
At Moonmana, we’ve successfully fulfilled dozens of game porting projects for our customers, and would like to describe one of the cases: porting our own IP Pirates of Everseas.
What is Pirates of Everseas?
Moonmana created F2P strategy city-builder Pirates of Everseas, where players can develop cities, construct ships, explore the open sea, and battle enemies. The game has been live & running since 2013 with close to 0 downtime & regular updates.
Developing Pirates of Everseas (PoE), we’ve used proprietary C++ engine, server side in Java, and various admin tools for live-ops.
Why did we decide to port this game?
Initially, the game was developed and released for Windows, gaining lots of players even on the soft launch stage.
We’ve localized PoE to 21 languages, and players from 135 countries worldwide started downloading and playing the game.
That’s why we’ve decided to widen the opportunities, engaging MacOS players to download and enjoy PoE.
We had all the necessary technical background to ensure a smooth running of the game.
Challenge
The key challenge was to integrate a new platform (MacOs) into the existing CI/CD pipeline of automated builds (all supported platforms: Windows, MacOS, IOS, Android & Web).
Process
We composed a Team, consisting of:
- 1 Project Manager
- 2 Engineers
- 2 QA Engineers
- 1 DevOps Engineer
To provide a successful Pirates of Everseas game porting services from Windows to MacOS we decided to carry out the 5 major steps:
Step 1
Moonmana team adapted a custom C++ engine to support the new platform running on MacOS for the game.
Step 2
After that, we also carried out UI/UX adaptation for different MacOS resolutions. It helped to optimize the processes so that the Pirates of Everseas would run smoothly. In addition, we provided control adaptation and support for the MacOS keyboard.
Step 3
Afterward, our team provided MacOS build preparation for management’s review and submission.
Step 4
Next step was MacOS platform integration to CI/CD pipeline.
Step 5
The final step Moonmana team made during this porting project was thorough game testing across the new MacOS platform.
In just two months, the project was ready in its complete form for the final release.
Technology stack:
We used a proprietary C++ engine, server-side in Java, as well as admin tools for live-ops.
Results
- MMO Strategy Pirates of Everseas is live & running since 2013 with close to 0 downtime & regular updates
- It has brought $2 million in gross revenue
- Pirates of Everseas was listed in the Top 5 Strategy Games on App Store
- It is localized in 21 languages
- It is played in 135 countries
Conclusion
Game porting is an integral part of the modern game development industry. It enables players to enjoy games by using different platforms and provides more possibilities for game developers. Porting video games allows to significantly expand the audience.
Moonmana provides video game porting services to/from all popular platforms in terms of its turnkey game development services.
Porting games helps to reach larger audiences and engage new players with contemporary low efforts and less costs than a new game development.
Thinking about porting your game to new platforms?
Contact us. We will be excited to fulfill your project, providing unparalleled service and ensuring excellence. Having a proven track record since 2008, Moonmana team will easily cope with effective game porting. Our team professionals are experts in the features of all platforms and engines.