Hey PlayStation.Blog readers! I’m Masaki Kawase, Lead Software Engineer and Shader Architect from Silicon Studio, and I’m thrilled to talk with you directly on game development for PlayStation 4. It’s an exciting time since E3, but let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty on making games for PS4.

We’ve been partners with Sony Computer Entertainment for years now (PS3 fans remember Silicon Studio for the PS3-exclusive 3D Dot Game Heroes), and we couldn’t be more delighted to work on PS4. PlayStation is in prime position with PS3 and PS Vita, but PS4 will bring souped-up visuals for gamers anticipating cutting-edge experiences.

We’re made up of two parts: first, we make traditional games, but second, we provide middleware solutions to developers around the world. YEBIS 2 is our most recent middleware offering, a real-time post-processing lens simulation middleware, famously utilized in Square Enix’s trailer of Final Fantasy XV. We’ve worked with Square Enix for years, and we are thrilled to integrate our post-processing effects software into their game engine. Agni’s Philosophy looks beautiful, and it’s in part because of the developmental research and work we put into YEBIS 2.

At this time, there’s no other piece of software other than YEBIS 2 that provides developers post-processing physically-based optics simulation, granting devs multi-color customizable glare effects, advanced depth of field, motion blur, high dynamic range options, active color adjustment, and cross-platform compatibility – all in real-time. Our proprietary algorithm ensures a balance between post-rendering speed, quality, and performance.

YEBIS 2 has been in R&D for a decade now, and you’ll see it in more games as we settle into this next generation. Developers appreciate our software as it piggybacks on a game’s engine itself (e.g., Square Enix’s Luminous Engine, Direct X 11 and so on). Within a day, artists go from having no post-processing effects to incorporating the full suite of features in one library, such as lens flare, bokeh effects, vignetting, and more. If you watch the trailer of Final Fantasy XV, and the tech-demo Agni’s Philosophy, you’ll see YEBIS 2 enabling those teams to push PS4 visually.

Middleware is an important key to next-gen development. In the current generation, games could be developed entirely by the dev team utilizing their own proprietary software. With this next generation, development time, manpower, and other resources have increased, so a smart studio will look for any opportunity to save time and streamline their processes. This is where we come in: on PS4 you will see our middleware literally shine. Take a look at our effects trailer to see our effects in action.

As Square Enix’s CTO Yoshihisa Hashimoto says, “YEBIS 2 is a high quality solution set for post-processing. For this reason in the current situation where lower costs are also considered important, if a new team is going to be developing things from scratch then I think using YEBIS 2 is a good deal from the perspectives of both cost and development efficiency.”

Minimizing costs and maximizing visuals is important. One key feature of Japanese development is a focus on visuals. For developers in Japan – and abroad – interested in high-end visual effects and realism, YEBIS 2 lets them create impressive and natural lighting without detracting from the horsepower of PS4.

Basically, any developer that uses YEBIS 2 will be able to perform high-level visual effects without the traditional hardware obstacles many expect when pushing technical limits. Because of our extended research, YEBIS 2 will let game developers better focus on what gamers care about: video games.

PS4 is a top-line piece of hardware, and everyone at Silicon Studio cannot wait to see YEBIS 2 in full glory on PlayStation’s new platform. Believe me — we are only scratching the surface of greatness.

Developers interested in trying YEBIS 2 on their game can download it here.