'Once the Switch 2 was announced, we felt that was a great opportunity to bring Kena to a brand new platform.‘ – Ember Lab COO Josh Grier discusses Kena's Switch 2 port and more
A few months ago, Ember Lab launched Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Nintendo Switch 2 following its release on other consoles and PC platforms. Following the Switch 2 port's release, I had a chance to chat with Josh Grier, Ember Lab's Chief Operating Officer, about bringing Kena to Switch 2, optimizing for Switch 2, a potential physical release, Switch 2 upscaling, the sequel, and more.
RPG Site: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Ember Lab.
Josh Grier: My brother Mike and I founded Ember Lab in 2009 as an animation studio. Beginning as a small start up, I’ve done a little bit of everything over the years, but overall I serve as the COO of the studio, overseeing studio and project direction while also staying very involved in game narrative, design, and tech details.
Josh Grier: My brother Mike and I founded Ember Lab in 2009 as an animation studio. Beginning as a small start up, I’ve done a little bit of everything over the years, but overall I serve as the COO of the studio, overseeing studio and project direction while also staying very involved in game narrative, design, and tech details.
RPG Site: It has been quite a journey for Kena since the initial PlayStation and PC launches. Can you discuss how the original launch helped make the Xbox and Switch 2 ports better?
Josh Grier: While developing the game for its initial launch, we learned a lot as the game was getting prepared to be delivered on PS4, PS5, and PC on day one. Thinking across platforms helped us know what to look out for and pay attention to while porting over to Xbox and Switch 2. We really value what we learned so we could share the game with a wider audience of players.
Josh Grier: While developing the game for its initial launch, we learned a lot as the game was getting prepared to be delivered on PS4, PS5, and PC on day one. Thinking across platforms helped us know what to look out for and pay attention to while porting over to Xbox and Switch 2. We really value what we learned so we could share the game with a wider audience of players.
RPG Site: Since Kena is on many older and current platforms, did the optimization work for PS4 and Steam Deck help with the Switch 2 port? Are there any plans to improve the image quality?
Josh Grier: Absolutely. Getting to be one of the launch titles for PS5 was very exciting and gave us some great visual range due to its enhanced processing power. But because we also needed to deliver the PS4 build, and eventually the Steam Deck, our optimization work really helped us to deliver a game we were proud of on platforms with varying technical capabilities.
Josh Grier: Absolutely. Getting to be one of the launch titles for PS5 was very exciting and gave us some great visual range due to its enhanced processing power. But because we also needed to deliver the PS4 build, and eventually the Steam Deck, our optimization work really helped us to deliver a game we were proud of on platforms with varying technical capabilities.
RPG Site: The Switch 2 version has a lot of ghosting issues right now. Are there plans to improve it and address that?
Josh Grier: That was one issue we worked hard to reduce but never quite eliminated. We’re continuing to evaluate potential optimizations post launch that could help. At this time, we don’t have a great solution that would reduce it without compromising the art direction of the game.
Josh Grier: That was one issue we worked hard to reduce but never quite eliminated. We’re continuing to evaluate potential optimizations post launch that could help. At this time, we don’t have a great solution that would reduce it without compromising the art direction of the game.
RPG Site: Are there any plans to add gyro support?
Josh Grier: We are also looking into adding it post launch if we can fit it into our schedule.
Josh Grier: We are also looking into adding it post launch if we can fit it into our schedule.
RPG Site: Kena feels right at home on a Nintendo console. Did the team try to port it to the original Switch before moving to Switch 2?
Josh Grier: We’ve always been big fans of Nintendo, and it’s a dream come true to see Kena on the new console! We did some initial tests with the Switch, but didn’t pursue a full port at that time. Once the Switch 2 was announced, we felt that was a great opportunity to bring Kena to a brand new platform.
Josh Grier: We’ve always been big fans of Nintendo, and it’s a dream come true to see Kena on the new console! We did some initial tests with the Switch, but didn’t pursue a full port at that time. Once the Switch 2 was announced, we felt that was a great opportunity to bring Kena to a brand new platform.
RPG Site: Can you say when the project began to bring Kena to Switch 2 and how Nintendo helped?
Josh Grier: We began working on the port in the middle of 2025. Since we had done some initial investigation into a port for the original Switch, we were in a good place from the start. Nintendo helped us with getting access to development kits and guiding us through the submission and publishing process. Our partners at Nintendo were just as excited as we were, and a great help, giving us ample feedback and pointers about bringing Kena over to the Switch 2.
Josh Grier: We began working on the port in the middle of 2025. Since we had done some initial investigation into a port for the original Switch, we were in a good place from the start. Nintendo helped us with getting access to development kits and guiding us through the submission and publishing process. Our partners at Nintendo were just as excited as we were, and a great help, giving us ample feedback and pointers about bringing Kena over to the Switch 2.
RPG Site: I'd love to see a physical release on a proper cartridge. Has the team considered that?
Josh Grier: We had a good response to the physical release of Kena on PlayStation. It's nice to have something physical you can hold on to and it also makes a great gift. We haven’t yet decided whether a physical release is in the cards for Switch 2 yet, but it’s good to hear there’s interest out there!
Josh Grier: We had a good response to the physical release of Kena on PlayStation. It's nice to have something physical you can hold on to and it also makes a great gift. We haven’t yet decided whether a physical release is in the cards for Switch 2 yet, but it’s good to hear there’s interest out there!
RPG Site: Are you happy with the state of the game on all platforms now or would you like to do more with the first game?
Josh Grier: We’re very proud of the team getting Kena available on so many different platforms. If we have any further opportunities to refine any aspects of the game across platforms, we’d always love to improve the experience.
Josh Grier: We’re very proud of the team getting Kena available on so many different platforms. If we have any further opportunities to refine any aspects of the game across platforms, we’d always love to improve the experience.
RPG Site: How was it working with upscaling technologies on Switch 2? Was there anything else the hardware offered that surprised you during the porting process?
Josh Grier: Upscaling on Switch 2 is a key piece of the optimization puzzle that helped us get the game running at a solid frame rate. There are quite a few options and settings that were helpful in tuning the look to reduce artifacting. It proved to be a great tool for us as we were able to render at a lower resolution and to push a higher frame rate.
Josh Grier: Upscaling on Switch 2 is a key piece of the optimization puzzle that helped us get the game running at a solid frame rate. There are quite a few options and settings that were helpful in tuning the look to reduce artifacting. It proved to be a great tool for us as we were able to render at a lower resolution and to push a higher frame rate.
RPG Site: Obviously everyone is now excited for the sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, that is a PlayStation Studios release. What learnings from the first game did you bring into this one?
Josh Grier: So much! Since Bridge of Spirits was our first experience making a full console game, almost everything was new. With our dedicated small team, we worked out how to adapt our filmmaking and animation background into game design, game tech, and learned the new language of Unreal Engine.
Having now released a game on multiple platforms, we have been able to take all the struggles, failures, and successes we had on Bridge of Spirits, and build them into our process moving forward. By expanding our scope and team with the sequel, there’s still a lot we’ve been learning this time around, but we definitely have a much firmer foundation from the lessons we learned on our first major release.
Josh Grier: So much! Since Bridge of Spirits was our first experience making a full console game, almost everything was new. With our dedicated small team, we worked out how to adapt our filmmaking and animation background into game design, game tech, and learned the new language of Unreal Engine.
Having now released a game on multiple platforms, we have been able to take all the struggles, failures, and successes we had on Bridge of Spirits, and build them into our process moving forward. By expanding our scope and team with the sequel, there’s still a lot we’ve been learning this time around, but we definitely have a much firmer foundation from the lessons we learned on our first major release.
RPG Site: How do you and everyone else on the team like your coffee? Go into as much detail as possible.
Thomas: Americano, no milk or sugar. Hot or iced, depending on the day.
Josh: Espresso macchiato, whole milk, traditional style (because that’s the only way to be).
Mike: Vanilla latte, whole milk, light sweet.
Hunter: Coldbrew, black, extra ice.
Thomas: Americano, no milk or sugar. Hot or iced, depending on the day.
Josh: Espresso macchiato, whole milk, traditional style (because that’s the only way to be).
Mike: Vanilla latte, whole milk, light sweet.
Hunter: Coldbrew, black, extra ice.