Train2Game News: Games Industry jobs – 09.01.13

It’s a brand new year with brand new jobs for Train2Game students!

DEVELOPER

Job Title Generalist Programmer
Job Category Programming
Skills Required Programming
Location Brighton, South East
Job Description  

Our Client is an independent studio that makes games, apps and interactive media for multiple platforms.

The management team have graduated from some of the industry’s elite development studios, and have a wealth of experience across multiple disciplines and platforms.

From graduate level through to lead positions our client is looking to fill a number of broad reaching roles. We are currently engaged with a number of partners with our work ranging from Mobile to Browser based games / app development.

The successful candidate will join an experienced development team and will gain industry-leading experience on various emerging platforms.

Skills Range

If you have experience in any of the following areas, please get in touch!

Lua
C#
C++
Objective-C
JavaScript and HTML5
Unity 3D
iOS / Android development
ActionScript 3.0 and Flash

Salary: Based on Experience
Attendance: Full-Time

Additional Information: This is a full-time contract role based in our Hove office, contracts range from 6 – 12 months. Permanent positions are also available to the right candidates.

If you are interested in applying, please contact Mark Hope for more details: mark@aswift.com or 01709 834 777

DESIGN

Job Title Mobile Games Designer – Midlands UK – £Neg DOE – Mobile Games
Job Category Game Design
Skills Required Game Design
Location Midlands
Job Description Location: Midlands
Salary: £Negotiable DOE
Job Type: Permanent
Project: AAA games

This Midlands based independent studio has helped create and build some of the biggest game franchises in games over the past 16 years.

Over the last three years they have developed and self-published nine games on the iOS and Android Stores all brand-new IPs achieving worldwide features and fantastic chart success Metacritic and player ratings. Their games have been downloaded by over 9 million people so far with repeated success in reaching #1 ‘All Apps’ in multiple territories.

Having recently moved to their new studio in Warwick they are in need of at least one experienced mobile games designer to work on their unannounced titles

The successful candidate will have shipped multiple game titles across all mobile platforms. You will be passionate have an excellent understanding of what makes a great game and a strong knowledge of game balancing and pacing. You will be working alongside other amazingly talented team members to create great gaming experiences aimed towards a variety of audiences.

Duties/Responsibilities:
• Define the overall creative vision and specific feature requirements to the team.
• Communicate the overall creative vision and specific feature requirements to the team.
• Write clear and concise game design documents.
• Drive the initial prototyping tuning gameplay pacing and first user experience and difficulty ramp of a mobile game.
• Research develop and design new games and features.
• Analyze and improve existing game mechanics and features based on playability user preferences and trends.
• Provide expert knowledge and implementation on social/mobile mechanics.
• Make sure the games are fun!

Skills/Experience Required:
• Must have mobile games design experience preferably ios and Android or other handheld (DS/3DS…)
• Awareness of Social Gaming and ideally have been involved in the creation of a social game using multiple purchase mentality
• Proven track record of successful game design from concept through to implementation
• Unity experience would prove an advantage

For the opportunity to be part of this team please send your cv (MS Word Format) and work examples FAO Catherine to officemanager@opmjobs.com or call +44 1206 214416

ART

Job Title Game UI Artist
Job Category Art / Animation
Skills Required 2D / Concept / Texture Artist, UI Artist
Location Warwick, Warwickshire, Midlands
Job Description Position Overview:
• This position involves designing and creating 2D Artwork and Graphics for our Games. In game and UI elements for primarily iOS and Android platforms.

Key Responsibilities:
• Working with the entire Development team to design and implement focussed, practical solutions within a realistic time frame.
• Design Icons and logos within the style constraints of the product.
• Work efficiently and at a speed representative of the platform.
• To be responsible for all 2D art aspects of any given project
• Be able to create all levels of Art from palette controlled pixel sprites up to hi Res Marketing Assets.

Skills and Experience:
• Excellent 2D background, including ideally pixel work.
• Use of Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Willing to work with Engineers to work within the technical limitations of the platform.
• Self Organised and willing to participate in team meetings.
• The ability to draught out a variety of concepts styles at speed to fit within the design constraints before game assets are created.

 

To find out more information and apply you can contact them HERE.

 

QA

Type: Permanent
Location: Edinburgh
Salary: Competitive
Company: Rockstar North
Contact: Michelle McKnight
Posted: 09/10/2012 10:12:00
Reference: GR/GR/GR/Test

 

Rockstar North is looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals to join our Games Test teams in Edinburgh. You will be expected to play through our latest games looking for problems and reporting errors, to ensure game quality before release.

Responsibilities

You will be finding and reproducing bugs, errors or problems in-game as directed. The role will require accurate, detailed and complete reporting to the required standards and subsequent revision of those errors or problems.

Qualifications

Successful applicants will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and enjoy working as part of a team. You will have good general computer skills and be a confident learner working with word processing, databases and spreadsheets. You will be able to show consistent attention to detail and have the ability to remain focussed when approaching repetitive tasks. We will be looking for flexibility regarding unsociable and extended working hours to meet the demands of the role.

Additional Information

Candidates must be 18 years of age and above and provide two references. The position will be a full-time short term contract. Applicants will preferably be educated to further or higher education standards.

This is a two stage application process. You will first be asked to complete an application pack from which you may be asked to attend an interview.

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE VIA www.rockstargames.com/jobs

Train2Game News: Marvel LEGO, Assemble!

Marvel LegoYour Train2Game blogger was very excited to get the news that there is going to be a Marvel Lego game coming later this year.

Marvel Super Heroes are assembling for an action-packed, brick-smashing good time!  Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, The LEGO Group and Marvel Entertainment announced that LEGO Marvel Super Heroes will be available from autumn 2013 on all platforms. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is the first instalment in the highly successful LEGO video game franchise to feature famous Marvel characters.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes offers an original storyline in which Nick Fury calls upon Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine and other heroes spanning the Marvel Universe to save Earth from such threats as the vengeance of Loki and the hunger of Galactus, Devourer of the Worlds.  LEGO and Marvel fans will enjoy classic LEGO video game adventure and humour, while playing as their favourite Marvel characters.

Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games Publishing said “We’re very excited to bring a myriad of classic Marvel characters to life in LEGO form for some fun, family-friendly game play in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.

“Players will brave the ultimate mission to save the world as they explore famous landmarks in LEGO New York and take the adventure beyond Earth to iconic locations in the Marvel Universe.”

TQ Jefferson, Vice President, Games Production, Marvel Entertainment added “Fans of both LEGO and Marvel have wanted this game for years, and we’re addressing that demand with more Marvel Universe characters than ever in a console game,

“If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy or scores of other Marvel characters, this is the game for you.”

In LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, players will unlock more than 100 characters from across the Marvel Universe, including fan favourites like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Deadpool, Loki and Galactus. The game will pack in a plethora of super-cool character abilities, combat-like action sequences, epic battle scenes, puzzle-solving and a unique story told with playful LEGO humor.

I for one, being a big fan of Comics and the Marvel universe, am really looking forward to this game.

Train2Game News: New Pokémon game announced

Pokemon X & YTrain2Game and other Pokémon fans around the world were delighted to hear the next generation of the popular game is being released in October with some big changes.

The Pokémon Company and Nintendo announced that the next generation of Pokémon video games, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, will launch worldwide in October for the Nintendo 3DS system. This is the first time in the history of the series the game will be released around the World on the same day. The game introduces new Pokémon, a new storyline set in a spectacular 3D world, and dynamic battles.

Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokémon Company said “The worldwide launch of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y this October allows players to begin their adventures at the same time. Now, Pokémon fans across the globe can discover the secrets of Pokémon games and can collect, battle, and trade with each other immediately.”

Junichi Masuda, video game director at Game Freak Inc. added “We brought Pokémon into an entirely new dimension and we’re incredibly excited to bring Pokémon X and Pokémon Y to fans. The stunning visuals, a completely redesigned environment, game scenario, music, and communication features will bring smiles to the faces of video game players around the world.”

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y will be the blueprint for an exciting array of new animation, Pokémon TCG, and toys debuting around the world.

Train2Game News: New Nvidia hand-held console announced

Project ShieldTrain2Game has discovered that Nvidia just announced Project Shield, a new gaming console that looks like a controller attached to a 5 inch HD screen.

The new hand held console runs on the Android operating system but what sets it apart from the other android platforms is that it has a controller similar to a current console controller for ease of use.

Project Shield is powered by a custom 72-core Nvidia A15 GeForce GPU and features a 5-inch 720p retinal multi-touch display, integrated speakers, wi-fi connectivity and the Android operating system. It’s also designed to interface as a controller with an Nvidia GPU-equipped PC, allowing you to play games from your couch.

Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia said “Project Shield was created by Nvidia engineers who love to game and imagined a new way to play. We were inspired by a vision that the rise of mobile and cloud technologies will free us from our boxes, letting us game anywhere, on any screen. We imagined a device that would do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books, letting us play in a cool new way”

No word yet on what the device will cost. A post on the official GeForce website lists a tentative release window of Q2 2013. The site states “It will first launch in the US and Canada, with a worldwide rollout to follow. Pricing and final specs will be unveiled closer to availability.”

The Android gaming platform seems to be a big player in 2013 with the OUYA games console, the recently announced GameStick and now Project Shield from Nvidia.

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 – 7.1.13

fifa13Over the Christmas break Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was knocked off of the top spot by Far Cry 3 with Fifa 13 taking number two but now it has shifted again. Fifa 13 is the number one game with Far Cry 3 at number 2.

Week ending 5 January 2013

POS.  TITLE 

PUBLISHER

 LAST
WEEK 

1

FIFA 13

EA SPORTS

2

2

FAR CRY 3

UBISOFT

1

3

– 

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II

ACTIVISION

3

4

– 

HITMAN ABSOLUTION

SQUARE ENIX

4

5

– 

NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED

EA GAMES

5

6

HALO 4

MICROSOFT

7

7

JUST DANCE 4

UBISOFT

6

8

FORZA HORIZON

MICROSOFT

10

9

– 

LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE

9

10

  THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM

BETHESDA SOFTWORKS

12

11

ASSASSIN’S CREED III

UBISOFT

8

12

 

SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED

SEGA

16

13

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013

SEGA

13

14

WWE ’13

THQ

11

15

DISHONORED

BETHESDA SOFTWORKS

14

16

MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTER

EA GAMES

15

17

– 

SKYLANDERS GIANTS

SKYLANDERS

17

18

FORZA MOTORSPORT 4

MICROSOFT

20

19

DISNEY EPIC MIKEY 2: THE POWER OF TWO

DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS

19

20

LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE

18

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE Ltd

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012- October to December

Train2GameThe last bit of this year has been just as busy as the rest, with Microsoft announcing that Train2Game are one of their sponsors for their new Power Up competition.

Train2Game are also offering a prize for the Power Up competition of a large amount of PR to make sure who ever wins will get a lot of attention from the industry and the public which will highly increase the winners job prospects.

Train2Game also attended this years Eurogamer.

In the Train2Game booth at Eurogamer the public was able to play the winning game from the World Record winning Game Jam, Royal Rush. The player that got the highest score on the game that day won a prize and of course bragging rights.

You can watch the video of Train2Games time at Eurogamer below:

It has been a pleasure to bring you all the news since I started back in September and I do hope you have all enjoyed reading it. I will continue to bring you all the latest news and updates from the industry we love and bring you many more interviews from fellow students and industry professionals.

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012 – July to September

Guinness CertificateThe third quarter was probably the biggest for Train2Game, it was in September that we got in to the Guinness World Record books.

Microsoft sponsored the third Train2Game Game Jam in September and this one was the biggest game jam in the world with just under 300 participants.

It was also here that the Students got to test out Windows 8, before its release, for its game making potential. In the lead up to the Jam, students were put in to teams and worked together to learn how the operating system worked. Once at the 48 hour event they were raring to go and put what they had learned to the test.

When the event started the Students were given a theme to work from, following the great year England has had with the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee it was only natural that the theme was Pride Of London. This turned out a number of great games and the majority of them have now been released on to the Windows 8 app store for all to play.

The winner of the event was a game called Royal Rush by a team known as Retro Metro. The game saw you play as a cyclist dodging the busy London traffic and picking up coins. It is a nice, fun addictive little game based on elements of the arcade classic, Frogger.

Retro Metro won quite a hefty prize including a new phone, a few games, Microsoft points and most importantly of all, a trip to Rare studios where they will be able to present their portfolio and get valuable advice.

You can relive or experience the event for the first time in the video below:

Train2Game News: Coming soon in 2013

DeadpoolAs big as 2012 has been, 2013 has more to come.

The first thing of 2013 to be keeping an eye on will be how well the Wii U does following it’s release and the Christmas rush. Will it be as big a hit as Nintendo hopes or will it fail to reach expectations?

A number of new blockbusters are coming next year with a lot of new sequels. For example 2013 will see the release of Rockstars GTA V and 2Ks Bioshock: Infinite. From what has been released of the games so far they both look stunning and both have been pegged as being big hits.

There are also two reboot games coming out next year. The first being the new Devil May Cry, being developed by the English based Ninja Studios and Tomb Raider being published by Square Enix. I played both games at Eurogamer, Tomb Raiders graphics are truly jaw dropping and Devil May Cry looks to be very action packed with good effects.

A new IP that could be a wild card is Deadpool. The game based on the Marvel Comics star.  The game is being developed by High Moon Studios and is due to be published by Activision in 2013. Regular Deadpool comic writer Daniel Way will pen the script, and Nolan North, who has voiced Deadpool in other media, will reprise his role. This could go either way, this is definitely a wait and see game.

There are a lot of big goings on in 2013 that should lead the gaming industry in to bigger and better things. It’s going to be exciting.

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect Charity video

SpecialEffect Over the past few months I have been updating you with all the good work that SpecialEffect have been doing and trying to get their video up to 25,000 views.

SpecialEffect is a wonderful charity that helps the disabled to play games. This means that they can interact with other people and play together on a level playing ground.

The SpecialEffect website describes themselves as “Doing whatever it takes to help everyone with disabilities to have a better quality of life. For some, this means access to fun and leisure activities like computer games. For others, it’s giving them a voice at a time when they can’t even speak.”

SpecialEffect help people by using there loan library which is where all the specially made controllers are loaned to those in need. For example a specially created Wii mote for a girl who lost her limbs to Meningitis.

The charity also uses their StarGaze project to help people who can move nothing but their eyes. StarGaze is, perhaps, the most labour-intensive and demanding element of SpecialEffect’s work. A huge amount of care and sensitivity is required to ensure that the person we support has a gaze controlled computer system – as quickly as possible – that is personalised to meet their specific and often complex needs.

Dr Mick Donegan, the CEO of SpecialEffect said “Time after time, people with disabilities tell us what they want and need most is to find a way to enjoy themselves – a way to interact, compete and make new friends.

“It’s difficult or impossible for them to access mainstream videogames and leisure technology, and before we started there was nowhere to go for independent and expert advice and support to help them use technology to actually have fun!

“At the heart of the charity is the determination to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to help each individual, and that necessitates a huge range of services. On the one hand, our GameBase website is giving information to many people who might need immediate specialist advice about accessible games and controllers. On the other, we have an increasing waiting list of very severely disabled individuals with complex problems that we know will take us years of support visits and equipment loans to achieve any level of success.

But that’s why we’re here. If the charity had been set up to support just one individual, it would have been more than worthwhile.”

The charity has been trying to get this video to 25,000 views by Christmas day. It isn’t far off so please keep watching and sharing the video as much as possible to spread the word of the amazing work SpecialEffect do.

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012 – April to June

Train2Game at Gadget Show Live gets a surprise visit from a Dr Who Dalek

Train2Game at Gadget Show Live gets a surprise visit from a Dr Who Dalek

The second quarter of 2012 was especially good for me as it was in April that The Gadget Show live was held.

The Make Something Unreal Live was possibly the biggest thing Train2Game had done up to that point. It brought much media coverage and gave the students involved a highly valuable experience.

The 4 teams at the event got to meet such industry professionals as CliffyB, then from Epic Studios, Peter Molyneux who had just launched 22Cans and Jon Hare the man behind Sensible Software,

The event started in November of 2011 following a Train2Game Game Jam which was sponsored by Epic. The top 4 teams from there then had 6 months to create a game which was to be released on the iOS store.

The games that were created were based on the Fighting Fantasy books. This gave the teams more time as it took story creation out of the equation and it already had an existing fan base to work from.

You can check out the video from the 2012 Make Something Unreal Live contest below: