During The Game Awards 2025, Capcom announced that its new sci-fi action game Pragmata will finally be launching on April 24, 2025. The announcement was coupled with the release of a free demo version on Steam. In a subsequent joint media interview attended by AUTOMATON Japan, Pragmata’s producer Naoto Oyama and director Cho Yonghee gave some insights about why the team decided to release a PC demo early on, and how the newly announced Switch 2 edition is coming along.
According to the developers, the newly released demo is separate from Pragmata’s main story, but it uses one of the main stages of the game. The progression and enemy placements are also somewhat different compared to the show-floor builds showcased by Capcom so far. Given Pragmata’s unusual mix of “hacking and shooting” gameplay – which is a bit hard to picture until you actually try it – the goal of the demo is to let players see what it’s all about early on. The developers have also snuck in some surprises that will make the demo fun even on the second playthrough.
Additionally, Oyama notes that because PC environments vary so widely, making individual adjustments for Steam is extremely difficult. That’s why he wants players to try the Steam version ahead of time so that his team can thoroughly optimize the game and release it in the best state possible. It’s also their first chance to test proper mouse-and-keyboard controls with players around the world.
When it comes to optimization, Pragmata’s developers are prioritizing framerate stability across a wide range of environments. “Our policy was to put comfort first even if it meant sacrificing certain graphical aspects,” Oyama comments.
Regarding the Switch 2 version, Oyama says Pragmata is currently running very well, on par with Resident Evil Requiem. We won’t have to take his word for this, as there are future console demos planned for Pragmata too
Interestingly, he says that Capcom’s RE ENGINE is highly compatible with the Switch 2, so development is progressing more smoothly than expected. He emphasizes that Pragmata’s previous delay was not made in order to match the Switch 2 launch. Instead, the developers decided to postpone the game because it wasn’t at a quality level they could deliver at the time. The dual-character, simultaneous-control idea existed from the start, but figuring out how to turn it into a solid game system (and balancing it) is what required exra time.
Pragmata is set to launch in 2026 for PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X❘S, and Nintendo Switch 2. A PC demo is currently available on Steam. There will be no rewards or save-data transfer bonuses for playing the demo.
