You don’t need your source code - all that is needed is the ROM. However, if you do have the source code, that always helps! Another thing that is helpful are the game’s symbols.

We currently support:

• PlayStation 4

• PlayStation 5

• Nintendo Switch

• Xbox Series X

• Steam

Coming soon:

• Nintendo Switch 2

• GOG

Usually, we work with various publishers and studios and they ask us to do the ports for them.

Sometimes, we pitch games to publishers because we think there’s a good opportunity. For the latter, we look for the following:

• Is the game in licensing hell? Is it easy-ish to get the IP-holder’s permission? Are there other legal issues around music or VO that need to be considered?

  • This doesn’t mean it’s a complete dead end when pitching a game, however it does increase the difficulty level

• How well did the game perform in the past?

  • This is a strong indicator of how it might do again today, which is a valuable data point to offer when attempting to get buy-in from potential partners

• Is there a demand from the community today? 

  • We research across the web to find discussions about the game, and rely heavily on the game wishlist resource we’ve begun building in our Discord!  

• What’s its legacy? Was it previously unreleased in a certain region?

  • While this can sometimes complicate the pitch as it adds translation work, bringing game to audiences who have never played them is a strong motivator for us! 

• Is it technically feasible? Sometimes, studios will ask for an emulator we haven’t built yet.

  • At best, this just adds additional time to completion onto the project - at worst, a publisher might decide against that time investment

• Trophies/achievements

• Localization (including assets, voice work, and UI)

• Widescreen support (to make use of the black bars on 4:3 games)

• Interactive game manual overlay

• Timeline/save states + Rewind

• Up-Rendering to improve visual quality

• Custom audio/visual (texture replacement (ex: no red crosses), audio, video replacement)

• Contextual button mapping

• Controller rumble

• Additional artwork or behind the scenes items

• Game launcher (for multiple titles in a collection)

• Post-processing (CRT filters, arcade filters, etc.)

• Online play

In general, the answer is “it depends on the game”. For example, some games are well suited for up-rendering, while others make it very difficult.

Examples:

• Timeline/Save states and Rewind come with any port we do

• Online play is the hardest and comes with a lot of TRC (technical requirement checklist) items. There are many test cases to cover, and many edge cases to consider

• Trophies are not particularly hard, but they can be time consuming and if the game doesn’t “track the thing”, then it’s likely not a viable trophy

It depends on the request from the publisher/studio.

Some prefer a straight port to keep the game as close to the original as possible.  Some prefer all the bells and whistles, and some ask for custom work (ex: faster load times). 

Currently, you can use the Syrup SDK to quickly port your game from, say, the NES, to PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, and Switch.

To learn more about the SDK and its features/superpowers, please check our SDK page! Please note that the SDK is in a closed Alpha at the moment. You can join the waitlist in the meantime!

Our CEO is from Quebec, Canada, the Maple Syrup Capital of the World. Everyone likes syrup, and real syrup on anything makes it better!  

Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, our codename for the PS1 emulator is Pancake. For PS2, it’s Waffle. For PS3 - Benedict? NES is Toast!

Join our Discord! You can also follow us on any of our social media channels.

Maybe!?