"We messed up, we had to fix things" - Owlcat Games' Head of Publishing Andrey Tsvetkov on Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader's Switch 2 launch, the possibility of cross save, coffee, and much more
Late last year, Owlcat Games launched Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader on Nintendo Switch 2. It was a mess of a launch and not even close to something I could recommend. Rogue Trader recently got updated on Switch 2 to address many performance issues and give DLC away for free. Following that patch, I had a chance to chat with Owlcat Games' Head of Publishing Andrey Tsvetkov about the Switch 2 launch, how things felt for the studio, the possibility of cross save, potential Pathfinder ports, conditioning players to wait for updates, coffee, and more.
RPG Site: When did you start working on the Switch 2 port?
Andrey Tsvetkov: Though we didn’t think of the original Nintendo Switch console as being capable of running Rogue Trader, when Switch 2 came out, we decided to take a closer look at it. We had experience adapting the game to Xbox Series S, and we thought it would help us optimize for NSW2 as well.
At first, things looked promising: the game could run on a Switch 2, even in a state far from perfect, and we thought we could solve any issues that came up by the end of the year. It didn’t seem to be very complicated, so we had agreed with Nintendo on the launch date — which was the latest possible date for 2025. Though some performance issues were still present, we believed we could figure things out by launch, or at least with the first patch.
It turned out we were deadly wrong. It was closer to launch when we actually realized that a set of tricks with graphics and assets would not be enough, and the actions we took were not capable of improving performance further. The real cause of the issues ran much deeper — it would require going way further into the code and rearranging a set of game systems to achieve a desired performance boost, especially for the handheld mode, and it would take much more time to do it.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Though we didn’t think of the original Nintendo Switch console as being capable of running Rogue Trader, when Switch 2 came out, we decided to take a closer look at it. We had experience adapting the game to Xbox Series S, and we thought it would help us optimize for NSW2 as well.
At first, things looked promising: the game could run on a Switch 2, even in a state far from perfect, and we thought we could solve any issues that came up by the end of the year. It didn’t seem to be very complicated, so we had agreed with Nintendo on the launch date — which was the latest possible date for 2025. Though some performance issues were still present, we believed we could figure things out by launch, or at least with the first patch.
It turned out we were deadly wrong. It was closer to launch when we actually realized that a set of tricks with graphics and assets would not be enough, and the actions we took were not capable of improving performance further. The real cause of the issues ran much deeper — it would require going way further into the code and rearranging a set of game systems to achieve a desired performance boost, especially for the handheld mode, and it would take much more time to do it.
RPG Site: Was there any attempt made at getting Rogue Trader on Switch 1?
Andrey Tsvetkov: Out of curiosity we tried to launch the build on Switch 1, but we knew the hardware wasn't capable of running the game at a decent level. Ultimately, it wasn’t something we considered pursuing.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Out of curiosity we tried to launch the build on Switch 1, but we knew the hardware wasn't capable of running the game at a decent level. Ultimately, it wasn’t something we considered pursuing.
RPG Site: We've had many games over the years launch in a rough state and improve, but few are able to make good with players. Was there any consideration to delaying the game by a few months instead of releasing like it did last year on Switch 2?
Andrey Tsvetkov: We had a plan to ship the game before Christmas and genuinely believed we would be able to deliver all the fixes by then. Unfortunately, we realized too late in order to break the “glass ceiling” of performance, the improvements would need to be on a much deeper level. We started working towards that direction immediately, but it was too late to scrap all the arrangements for the launch. Retrospectively, it was a bad decision, and the work took us months to complete. Once again, I’d like to apologize for the experience the players had to go through. I hope the latest update and the complimentary content go some way toward making up for it.
Andrey Tsvetkov: We had a plan to ship the game before Christmas and genuinely believed we would be able to deliver all the fixes by then. Unfortunately, we realized too late in order to break the “glass ceiling” of performance, the improvements would need to be on a much deeper level. We started working towards that direction immediately, but it was too late to scrap all the arrangements for the launch. Retrospectively, it was a bad decision, and the work took us months to complete. Once again, I’d like to apologize for the experience the players had to go through. I hope the latest update and the complimentary content go some way toward making up for it.
RPG Site: Can you discuss how it was for the studio when the game shipped and the reactions? Were you all already working on the major patches we finally received?
Andrey Tsvetkov: The reaction was fair and predictable. From then on, the only thing we could do was continue working on improving the performance and show the players that we were dedicated to fixing it. It became a matter of the studio’s reputation — we messed up, we had to fix things. At the same time, we decided to compensate our players for their experience by offering all additional content for RT for free. There were several months ahead of us before the news and the update got revealed.
Andrey Tsvetkov: The reaction was fair and predictable. From then on, the only thing we could do was continue working on improving the performance and show the players that we were dedicated to fixing it. It became a matter of the studio’s reputation — we messed up, we had to fix things. At the same time, we decided to compensate our players for their experience by offering all additional content for RT for free. There were several months ahead of us before the news and the update got revealed.
RPG Site: Offering all current and future DLC is very generous. What challenges are you running into with porting the DLC?
Andrey Tsvetkov: The biggest challenge was tailoring the core systems of the base game; the DLCs only needed extra time for porting and testing. That is the reason The Infinite Museion comes to Switch 2 later than to other platforms.
Andrey Tsvetkov: The biggest challenge was tailoring the core systems of the base game; the DLCs only needed extra time for porting and testing. That is the reason The Infinite Museion comes to Switch 2 later than to other platforms.
RPG Site: Rogue Trader is a very long and meaty game. Are there plans to do cross save with Switch 2 and other platforms? I'd love to play on PS5 Pro then continue on Steam Deck and Switch 2.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Unfortunately, no such plans exist for cross-saving on other platforms at the moment.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Unfortunately, no such plans exist for cross-saving on other platforms at the moment.
RPG Site: Should we expect more Switch 2 enhancements and optimization going forward?
Andrey Tsvetkov: Along with The Infinite Museion DLC, another performance update will be rolled out. It will be much smaller than the previous one, but will fix some of the remaining issues.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Along with The Infinite Museion DLC, another performance update will be rolled out. It will be much smaller than the previous one, but will fix some of the remaining issues.
RPG Site: Looking back, what learnings will you take away from the S2 launch of Rogue Trader?
Andrey Tsvetkov: Never take shortcuts. The idea of successfully porting the game to such a performance-demanding platform with a mere set of tweaks is an illusion, even if there already is a game version running on another console of similar performance. It takes rebuilding a lot of things to do it properly. On the bright side, those learnings will stay with us and benefit our future releases on Switch 2.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Never take shortcuts. The idea of successfully porting the game to such a performance-demanding platform with a mere set of tweaks is an illusion, even if there already is a game version running on another console of similar performance. It takes rebuilding a lot of things to do it properly. On the bright side, those learnings will stay with us and benefit our future releases on Switch 2.
RPG Site: Will all the optimization patches be included in the physical?
Andrey Tsvetkov: Yes, the cartridge will have all the released updates. However, we recommend updating the game to the latest version even when running from a cartridge since new QoL fixes and the final DLC are still to be delivered.
Andrey Tsvetkov: Yes, the cartridge will have all the released updates. However, we recommend updating the game to the latest version even when running from a cartridge since new QoL fixes and the final DLC are still to be delivered.
RPG Site: Are there any plans to use enhanced PSSR on PS5 Pro in an update?
Andrey Tsvetkov: For Rogue Trader, we don’t have such plans at the moment.
Andrey Tsvetkov: For Rogue Trader, we don’t have such plans at the moment.
RPG Site: As you mentioned, the Switch 1 was a bit too weak for some of the games, but are there plans to bring the Pathfinder games natively to Switch 2?
Andrey Tsvetkov: No such plans exist at the moment.
Andrey Tsvetkov: No such plans exist at the moment.
RPG Site: As head of publishing for a beloved RPG developer, do you worry that you are conditioning the potential players to wait for major updates before playing your next title going by how much better Owlcat releases are after a few patches?
Andrey Tsvetkov: It is a valid concern and, honestly, I cannot blame players who decide to wait. We have earned part of that reputation ourselves, and the Rogue Trader release on Switch 2 we’ve been talking about didn’t help. At the same time, I do believe we are getting better with every new game, even if the progress is not always as fast or consistent as we would like.
We want players to buy our games at launch because they are already great experiences, not because they trust us to fix any issues present and implement gameplay improvements later. That being said, the whole Owlcat team is extremely grateful to all the fans who support us and have faith in us — even when something unexpected happens, we are always committed to making things right.
Andrey Tsvetkov: It is a valid concern and, honestly, I cannot blame players who decide to wait. We have earned part of that reputation ourselves, and the Rogue Trader release on Switch 2 we’ve been talking about didn’t help. At the same time, I do believe we are getting better with every new game, even if the progress is not always as fast or consistent as we would like.
We want players to buy our games at launch because they are already great experiences, not because they trust us to fix any issues present and implement gameplay improvements later. That being said, the whole Owlcat team is extremely grateful to all the fans who support us and have faith in us — even when something unexpected happens, we are always committed to making things right.
RPG Site: How do you like your coffee? Go into as much detail as possible.
Andrey Tsvetkov: You’d like to know if my relationship with a coffee machine resembles one of James Holden, wouldn’t you? I’d say mine is a bit less sophisticated, but my daily ritual usually involves four or five shots of espresso.
Andrey Tsvetkov: You’d like to know if my relationship with a coffee machine resembles one of James Holden, wouldn’t you? I’d say mine is a bit less sophisticated, but my daily ritual usually involves four or five shots of espresso.