Modernising a Decades-Old Simulation Game for the Web
A legacy desktop baseball simulation game, re-engineered into a responsive web platform - preserving decades of gameplay authenticity while reaching a new, multi-device audience.
Outcome Snapshot
800+
active subscribers across annual and monthly plans
2x
faster delivery with AI-assisted development
50%
fewer defects following AI-assisted testing
10+
years of continuous partnership
Client
A long-running fantasy and simulation baseball game publisher, with a loyal subscriber base built over decades around a desktop-based product.
Challenge
- A desktop-only legacy product: the core game logic was built in an older desktop technology, limiting reach to a single device type.
- A loyal but ageing platform: the existing subscriber base valued gameplay authenticity above all else, raising the stakes for any migration.
- Complex legacy data: player, team, and ballpark data existed as on-disk files, with no path to real-time, multi-device access.
- Preserving trust while modernising: any rebuild had to retain the original business logic exactly, without alienating existing subscribers.
Objectives
- Re-engineer the legacy desktop game into a responsive, web-based platform
- Preserve the original gameplay logic and statistical authenticity
- Migrate legacy on-disk data into a real-time, cloud-native data layer
- Support access across multiple devices, not just desktop
- Maintain platform stability for a live, paying subscriber base throughout
What We Built
- A responsive web platform: re-engineering the legacy desktop game using modern front-end libraries, while retaining the original business logic exactly.
- Real-time data infrastructure: automated migration of on-disk legacy data into a scalable, cloud-native real-time database.
- A modern, scalable architecture: rebuilt following current cloud best practices, ready to support a growing, multi-device subscriber base.
- Continuous feature delivery: an ongoing programme of new features, seasonal content, and platform improvements delivered year over year.
Impact
Modernised
a decades-old desktop game into a fully responsive, multi-device web platform.
Preserved
the gameplay authenticity that a loyal subscriber base had trusted for years.
Accelerated
delivery roughly 2x, with AI-assisted development cutting defects by around 50%.
Sustained
a subscriber base of 800+ across annual and monthly plans, on a platform now built to grow.
Build Facts
Platform
Web App (React, Node.js)
Real-Time Database (Firebase)
Cloud Infrastructure (AWS, GCP)
Focus
Legacy Platform Modernisation
Real-Time Data Migration
Multi-Device Web Delivery
Long-Term Product Partnership
Let’s talk, no strings attached.
