Shapefarm’s Orbitals Sets Out to Nail Co-Op Anime Vibes on Switch 2

Orbitals, the upcoming co-op action game from Shapefarm, is aiming to land a very specific feeling when it releases on 3 September 2026—an 80s-to-90s anime look paired with a modern, conversation-driven approach to playing with someone else. Developed with a mix of Western co-op sensibilities and Japanese animation talent, the project is also making some pointed choices in 2026: it’s coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2, it’s being released in physical form, and it will ship with fully recorded voice acting in eight languages. Whether that combination turns into a standout “shared couch” experience—or a niche curiosity—will depend on how cleanly the team’s design philosophy translates into moment-to-moment play.

Shapefarm’s path to an “original” co-op game

Shapefarm’s story matters because Orbitals isn’t arriving from a clean slate. Creative director Marcos Ramos joined the studio eight years ago after a period where Shapefarm worked primarily as a support team for other developers. Ramos frames that subcontracting phase as a team-building “learning arc,” describing how working alongside others helped the studio grow while refining how they collaborate.

That earlier work also fed directly into Orbitals’ visual toolkit. Shapefarm previously contributed to Samurai Jack Battle Through Time and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, projects Ramos highlights for their identifiable cel-shaded style and the studio’s experience moving 2D-inspired presentation into 3D gameplay. For Ramos, that background gives Orbitals “good foundations” compared to a studio that would otherwise be starting from zero.

Game director Jakob Lundgren’s involvement brings additional co-op DNA. Before joining Shapefarm, he spent seven years at Hazelight—working across A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction. His pitch when Orbitals was taking shape was direct: build a co-operative game, but make it fresh and distinctive rather than derivative.

• Shapefarm’s earlier support work helped establish its cel-shading and 2D-to-3D style pipeline.
• Lundgren’s Hazelight background shaped the project’s focus on co-op design principles.
• The team’s goal is a co-op experience that feels unique, not a re-skin of prior hits.

Why the 1980s anime look isn’t “nostalgia content”

Orbitals’ presentation is openly inspired by 1980s and 1990s anime aesthetics, but the developers insist the motivation is personal rather than market-driven. Lundgren says the decision is not based on market research; instead, the spark comes from what the team loved as kids—watching Dragon Ball and Naruto, and the feeling those shows created.

Ramos describes how the 1980s became a more common trend over time, but clarifies that the studio never approached the project as “nostalgia bait.” In his view, the inspiration is tied to shared, real memories—gathered on the couch, talking about what stuck, and why it mattered. Even their research process reportedly included watching Dragon Ball episodes together to understand which moments were meaningful to them.

At the same time, the team is careful not to chase a copy-and-paste past. Ramos says Orbitals aims to “reproduce a period style” only in the sense of rules and expression, while still pushing for the studio’s own identity. Lundgren draws a line between projects that capitalize on the feeling and projects that risk falling into clichés; Orbitals is intended to preserve authenticity by building from what the creators remember, not what the broader culture is currently selling.

Ramos even describes the dream version of Orbitals: imagining it as an anime from the 1980s that somehow never got released back then. That framing captures the project’s tension—make it feel like it belongs to another era, while still being a new work.

Animation pipeline, co-op “communication,” and the choice to skip generative AI

Translating that anime vision into playable 3D is a technical challenge, especially when the game relies on traditional 2D animation for its cutscenes. Shapefarm partnered with Japanese animation studio Massket to produce Orbitals’ cinematics in traditional 2D, while the gameplay itself runs in 3D. Keeping the two styles aligned required what Ramos calls a set of rules—and constant alignment so both teams remain faithful to the overall vision.

Development also involved timing surprises. Lundgren notes that the game “changes every day” as iterations stack up, and that the cutscene production pace was different enough that the team sometimes didn’t see how the animated 2D transitions would feel between gameplay segments until as late as a year and a half into the process. He remembers their reaction time after time as a kind of anxious hope—“please let it be good.”

Orbitals’ design philosophy extends beyond visuals into how players should interact. Lundgren argues that co-op succeeds when it’s spontaneous and both players are actively engaged in the moment. The team also set out to encourage communication constantly—not just to solve progress problems, but to make the experience itself feel shared. He describes the off-screen space (the “couch” scenario) as part of the experience as important as what’s happening on-screen.

In a media landscape full of generative AI debates, Shapefarm also drew a firm boundary: Orbitals will not use generative AI. Ramos says the team’s answer, when the topic came up, was simply “no thanks,” and he emphasizes protecting the creative pleasure of the work itself. Lundgren adds that AI would be more like a “monologue,” while the studio’s process depends on dialogue—someone getting excited about an idea and carrying it through into the game. His conclusion is skeptical: he doesn’t believe the same feeling could be recreated with AI.

Switch 2 exclusivity, physical release, and full multi-language voice acting

Orbitals is built for co-op in a way that also shapes its platform strategy. Shapefarm chose Nintendo Switch 2 exclusivity partly because of GameShare, which allows players to lend a copy to someone on another console without buying another cartridge. For Lundgren, this is key for a game meant to be played together: if you’re playing locally on one couch, you only need one purchase; if you’re playing online, you also shouldn’t need multiple buys.

The studio also positions the game as accessible and family-friendly. Lundgren describes Orbitals as beginner-friendly and a strong fit for Switch 2’s audience, and he notes the geographical cultural fit of both Shapefarm and Nintendo being Japanese companies.

There’s no plan to expand beyond the platform. When asked about reaching other audiences later, Lundgren’s answer is straightforward: Orbitals releases only on Switch 2.

Physical media is another deliberate decision. Even though Switch 2 offers Virtual Game Cards (Game Key Card), Shapefarm opted for a traditional physical cartridge because the game “fits fully on the red cartridge.” Ramos says they felt encouraged by the reaction to the announcement, with more than half of the comments asking whether a physical version would exist.

The team also ties physical release to a sense of era-appropriate authenticity. Lundgren explains the logic bluntly: in the 1980s, digital didn’t exist, so a physical game should feel like it belongs. He also points to the broader industry shift—mentioning Sony’s planned end of physical support for PlayStation consoles starting in 2028—and implies Orbitals’ format will resonate with players who feel uncertain about a future without boxes.

On top of that, Orbitals is fully dubbed in eight languages, including French. Ramos says the studio trusted the project and highlights Kepler Interactive’s support since early development. He also argues that dubbing is especially meaningful where anime culture is prominent. In his case, he grew up with anime with Mexican-sounding voice work even though he’s from Argentina, making multi-language authenticity feel personal.

Lundgren says localization was built around countries that have experience dubbing anime, so players can relive the childhood viewing experience in their own language. For French audiences, the French cast has already been partially revealed, including Brigitte Lecordier (credited for Dragon Ball and Frieren). Ramos says the casting priority was matching the actor to the character, and in Lecordier’s case, the team reacted with immediate enthusiasm.

Release timing, publisher context, and what comes after

Orbitals is arriving in September 2026—roughly three weeks from launch at the time of the discussion—and the developers frame this as their immediate focus. Lundgren describes the pressure from joining Kepler Interactive’s portfolio as real, since the publisher is responsible for recent releases like Rematch and Clair Obscur Expedition 33, but he also jokes that any pressure comes from within the team rather than from the publisher.

Ramos says what he likes about working with Kepler is the ability for each studio to pursue its own vision without having to compare themselves directly with other titles in the catalog. Even so, the conversation about “what’s next” is tempered: the studio is not interested in rushing into an Orbitals 2 or other universe spin-offs before the first release lands. Ramos describes “big dreams” for the world, saying what players will see in Orbitals is only a small part of the story the team has already discussed internally.

For now, the message is clear: Orbitals is built around co-op communication, a period-accurate anime mood, and modern production choices—without generative AI—backed by a platform plan designed to make playing together simpler. If the execution matches the philosophy, Switch 2 owners looking for a couch-and-online co-op experience with a distinct aesthetic should have something substantial to watch for on 3 September 2026.