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HTC job listing hints at an E Ink / 3D-filled future, new North Carolina facility
Months back, word on the street had it that HTC was looking to grab up emptied space in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park post-recession; huge outfits like Nortel bit the bullet in 2009, while Sony Ericsson shuttered its operations there and relocated to Atlanta. Naturally, the consolidation paved the way for other technology firms to slide in without overpaying for real estate. HTC has remained mum on the prospect of expansion, but it's fairly obvious what's in mind given the multiple job listings that have just emerged for a heretofore unannounced facility in RTP. Of particular importance is a plea for a Display and Camera Design Engineer -- HTC is asking that whoever applies for the role have some level of "familiarity with 3D display and imaging technologies," not to mention "familiarity with multiple display technologies (TFT-LCD, PMOLED, AMOLED, E-ink, etc.)." Of course, we've seen quite a few bullet points in our years that end up meaning nothing at all, but it definitely gets our gears turning. Could HTC be working on a reader / tablet that would at least partially rely on e-paper? Are we destined to see a 3D Android device from the outfit at Mobile World Congress 2011? Imaginations, here's the part where you run wild.
Qualcomm job listing for iPhone dev guru sets internet absolutely aflutter
"The iPhone has no secret for you? Well, that's what you think... join us and develop the most challenging product of your life!" So reads a now-removed job listing on Qualcomm's website for an "iPhone Developer Guru" (still cached, thanks to Google). Responsibilities will include "iPhone software design and development but not restricted to it" as well as some Android and... oh, you've already jumped to conclusions, have you? The forerunners of CDMA technology asking for iPhone software engineering? Teasing with the most challenging product of your life? We wouldn't fault for Qualcomm for a bit of boasting, and for all we know this could be much ado about nothing. Then again, we really don't know anything, and this isn't exactly some super clue in some giant mystery. Sorry, Encyclopedia Brown; don't get your hopes up.
Treasure hiring for a new 3D shooter
Fresh off the North American release of Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Treasure is beginning work on another 3D shooting game. If you live in Japan and have strong programming skills, perhaps you could be among the first to find out what it is. By making it! The news comes from a job listing on Treasure's website, seeking a programmer for a "new project '3D action shooting game.'" In addition, a cryptic image on the front page, advertising the job listing, looks like it might be some kind of hint. Treasure has made four games in the past that would fit in this genre: the PS2's Silpheed: The Lost Planet, the licensed Dragon Drive: D-Masters Shot on GameCube, and the two Sin & Punishment games. It is, however, a company that usually expresses more interest in original games than sequels, so past games are not necessarily any indication of future plans. Perhaps it's the company's long-awaited Xbox 360 shooter -- although that one was originally meant to be 2D.
BioWare Montreal seeking multiplayer programmers with Unreal Engine experience
A job listing for "multiplayer programmers" has appeared on EA's official website, specifically for BioWare Montreal -- a studio that describes itself in the same listing as "working on Mass Effect, one of the industry's most beloved and acclaimed franchises, as we build our way toward becoming a fully self-sufficient BioWare studio." EA's Montreal-based recruiter, Jeff Goldstein, apparently had a similar listing on his LinkedIn page (no longer available but captured by CinemaBlend), which pegged the multiplayer programmers as working on the "Mass Effect Franchise." The position additionally requires "experience with the Unreal Engine" -- out of BioWare's current and known franchises, Mass Effect is the only one to use Unreal. Alarmingly, the listing fails to point out that, if applicants are to work on a Mass Effect 3 multiplayer component, they'll be working on the hardest game development task of all time. We can't even begin to wonder how multiplayer dialogue trees work. When contacted for comment, an EA rep told Joystiq, "Mass Effect is a rich, dynamic fiction designed as a trilogy. The team at BioWare is working on new downloadable content for Mass Effect 2 and are in the early stages of Mass Effect 3 development." [Thanks, Khai; via NeverKnowTech]
Dante's Inferno dev hiring for 'sequel to major new IP'
In a recent job listing on Gamasutra, EA's Visceral Games studio put out a feeler for "an experienced Environment Artist for an existing action/adventure franchise." We might normally excuse this as a job listing for the currently-in-development Dead Space 2, but the listing further details the project as "a major opportunity to contribute to a bold new franchise, heavily backed by the EA Games Label ... the sequel to a major new IP at the award-winning Visceral Games." The listing concludes with another vaguely suggestive line about creating a sequel that will "set new quality standards and make the franchise the world-leader in the action/melee-combat genre." Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are mentioned as target consoles. All these clues add up to reasonable speculation that Visceral is recruiting for a sequel to this year's Dante's Inferno. In December, the first game's producer was all for the idea of a sequel, but admitted that continuing to follow the path laid out by the The Divine Comedy source material, which would lead to Purgatory and perhaps on into Heaven, might not make for a great game -- especially in the action/melee-combat genre. Perhaps then, a Dante's Inferno sequel could take a few liberties with the story. [Via Superannuation]
Apple job posting hints at LTE for a future iPhone?
What could possibly come after the iPhone 3GS? The iPhone 3GSS, of course! Joking aside, turns out Apple's already dropped the 4G bomb on one of its job postings in May 2009 while seeking for a "Cellular Technology Software Manager" with "expert knowledge of... WCDMA/UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, LTE etc." That's right, LTE. Now, we're not saying this means a 4G-powered iPhone is next in line in the annual product cycle, nor does this listing confirm Apple's favored 4G radio (be it a decoy or an eventual change of heart), but given AT&T's interest in LTE plus its prolonged love affair with Cupertino, it's pretty hard to not consider LTE as a realistic option on future Apple portables. Frankly, it won't be the end of the world if a 4G iPhone fails to turn up this summer -- most of us here would rather have something with improved battery life, real multitasking, and 720p camera over those insane data speeds. No, really. [Thanks, Bryan]
Square Enix job listing reveals preparation for 'next generation platforms'
Sony may have a 10 year plan for PS3, and Microsoft may be extending the life of the 360 with Project Natal -- heck, even Nintendo has repeatedly stated it's sticking with the Wii -- but Square Enix is reading between the lines and gearing up for the next generation of gaming regardless. IGN spotted a listing over at the official Square Enix website that seeks a variety of technical positions "in anticipation of the appearance of next generation platforms." From 3D graphics core programmers to technical artists (and pretty much everything in between), the new hires will be charged with development of a "new generation game engine development project" -- presumably the next iteration of the company's Crystal Tools game engine. Square notes the intention of this early development as "for competing beyond the level of the world's powerful developers," though we should note that you kinda sorta have to move to Tokyo if you're interested in applying for such a lofty position. Oh, yeah, and you should probably be able to speak Japanese. [Via IGN]
You could design the next revision of the 360 motherboard
A Microsoft job listing reveals that the company is looking for staff to design a new Xbox 360 motherboard. From the sound of it, the new "Motherboard Design Engineer" will be helping to design further revisions of the existing Xbox 360 architecture, rather than the hardware for a next-next-generation system. "The responsibilities of this position are focused on specifying, designing (schematic capture, PCB layout, BOM, cost analysis), implementing and verifying the mother-board and other various sub-system boards that make up the Xbox 360 product line," the job description reads. If you're a qualified electrical engineer and want to do work that may cast you as a hero in the eyes of many, many gamers, this is your chance. Please fix the Xbox 360 motherboard once and for all! [Thanks @GameAddict!]
Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come?
So, we already assume Amazon's thinking touch for the Kindle, what with that recent Touchco acquisition and word of similar behind-the-screen touch tech being on PVI's roadmap. PVI owns E Ink, and is naturally bullish about its upcoming products, but what about E Ink in the new Kindle? If you're into reading the tea leaves of job postings, Amazon might be telegraphing its intentions. It's looking for a "Hardware Display Manager" who, among many other things, is supposed to have "Significant exposure to high volume manufacturing environments; you will know the LCD business and key players in the market." That might have you thinking the next Kindle will go LCD, but the requirements also mention a "deep knowledge of current display technology and potential future technologies," and nothing about the role seems exactly prescriptive of an LCD expertise -- more of a general focus on displays and product design, whatever tech might come. Pixel Qi or Mirasol, anybody? Amazon's also looking for all sorts of software expertise, including a "Software Design Engineer" who will be responsible for radio stacks "including but not limited to" 3G and WiFi. Again, these are requirements (among many) for a role, not necessarily implications of a Kindle 3 spec sheet, but there's one thing clear: Amazon's gearing up for something.
Blueside's 'Project T' MMO also in development for Xbox 360
We'd heard before that Korean developer Blueside (of Ninety-Nine Nights and Kingdom Under Fire) was working on a sekrit massively multiplayer game called Project T for the PC, but now we've learned that it's also planning to release the game on the Xbox 360. A Korean job listing for the company says that the MMORPG is in development for both platforms, and asks for game programming skills of all kinds, including experience working on commercial MMOs. The game is supposed to be an "action RPG," so it actually sounds like a pretty good fit to try for the more action-friendly console world. The job listing specifies a contract time of one year (though that seems pretty boilerplate in these situations), and the MMO was last scheduled for a release sometime in 2011. The company's also working on some MMO-style gameplay for its upcoming Kingdom Under Fire II.
Dead Rising 2 dev working on new action project
Before we've even laid hands on its death-by-giant-cellphone sim, Dead Rising 2, developer Blue Castle Games is thinking about its next project. According to a job listing spotted by VG247, potential applicants will be required to have their finger on the pulse of "open world and FPS games like Prince of Persia, Assassins Creed, Halo, and everything in between." Right, so look for Blue Castle's Dead Rising 2 follow-up, Royal Wall-Running Secret Killer Space Marine, coming in the fall of 2011.
Tomb Raider studio seeking multiplayer devs for 'AAA title development'
For the last few years, Crystal Dynamics has been pumping out nothing but Tomb Raider games. Normally we wouldn't lead a job listing post with such information, but when Crystal Dynamics says it's looking for developers who are "able to effectively create and lead the multiplayer vision and design effort," it gets us thinking that we could be tomb raiding with (against?) other actual human beings! Considering this year's layoffs, we're not convinced that the developer could be working on another "AAA title" in addition to the Tomb Raider franchise. Given the leaked images of a "reboot" and assurance from Eidos "Life President" Ian Livingstone that Lara's next installment will "reinvigorate the franchise," we're pretty confident that Crystal Dynamics is hard at work on whatever the next game in the TR series will be. For now though, we have a job listing and plenty of educated guesses. [Via CinemaBlend]
Microsoft lists more jobs for Project Natal, 343 Industries; hiring Shadow Complex, Gears of War franchises lead
With Shadow Complex setting very specific week-one sales records on XBLA, Epic and Chair would be kind of nuts to not consider a sequel. One job listing out of a recent crop on Microsoft's employment boards seems to out that likely scenario, implying that Shadow Complex is a bona fide franchise for Microsoft Game Studios and Epic. Said listing specifically calls for a Lead Producer to "lead the publishing side of games made by Epic: Gears of War and Shadow Complex." Additionally, Microsoft appears to be looking for more able bodies to join its growing pool of Project Natal and 343 Industries employees. Existing job listings call for everything from designers to engineers to even a few artists. Sadly, the company isn't looking for MJOLNIR armor models yet, but just in case, Microsoft, you know how to reach us. [Via Develop]
Sucker Punch hiring network programmer, adding online support to next game
Normally, we wouldn't write a story simply stating that a developer's next, unannounced title will include some form of online multiplayer support -- however, based on the cliffhanger ending from InFamous (and the apparent re-casting of Cole MacGrath's voice actor) it would be completely logical to assume that Sucker Punch is working on a sequel to its electrified superhero sim. Therefore, one might also assume that the company's recently posted job listing, which requests the services of a network programmer who has "experience building on-line components of video games," means InFamous 2 will have some form of online mode. We know, we know -- that's a whole lot of assumptions. Still, we're sticking to the old adage of "when you assume, you make an ass of you and me, but sometimes, you can totally predict things before they happen by simply making an educated guess." We'll contact someone over at Sucker Punch to try and help our chances. [Via CVG]
EA job listing hints at online multiplayer for Dead Space 2
If an Electronic Arts job listing is any indication, Dead Space 2 is set to receive a gameplay feature that none of us saw coming -- online multiplayer support. The listing, which calls for the aid of a "Senior Online Level Designer," mentions that the new hire should "be able to work collaboratively with Creative Director and Online Producer to create extremely fun, satisfying and polished multiplayer levels." Those who desire to create droll, unsatisfying and shoddy multiplayer levels should probably look for employment elsewhere. We'd call this move surprising based on the fact that we have no idea how it would work out. Given the first game's heavy focus on "strategic dismemberment," we can only imagine that multiplayer matches will quickly devolve into hilarious, appendage-removing duels. Kind of like Bushido Blade meets the Black Knight scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (Actually, that sounds pretty awesome!) [Thanks, Andrew!]
Microsoft hiring for Project Natal and Halo
A variety of new job listings have emerged on a Microsoft employment site, including positions for Project Natal and -- perhaps more interesting -- positions for a new Halo game. These listings for Halo, likely for Halo: Reach, call for designers, AI developers and animators -- even a multiplayer game design lead. As for Project Natal, some listings point to "a large franchise," whereas others quote "an excellent next-generation" project -- which could be just about anything. We confirmed with Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb that the listings were legit, though he couldn't provide us with any more info beyond that. [Via HotBloodedGaming]
RIM posts job listing for 'WebKit Developer,' gets one step closer to a real browser
Needed some more evidence that future BlackBerrys may be getting a much needed improvement in the browser department? You got it. Following up on the news that Research In Motion has acquired Torch Mobile (developers of the WebKit-based Iris browser), the Candian phonemaker is now looking to fill the position of "WebKit Developer," according to a job listing. The posting calls for a number of skills which would come in handy whilst creating a next-gen browser for the BlackBerry OS, clearly calling for someone with hands-on experience coding... WebKit style. Look, if you love Canada and hate the BlackBerry browser, here's your chance to make the world a better place. What are you waiting for? [Thanks, Daniel M]
EA job listing mentions next-gen project for Boom Blox team
We've heard sly references and seen mysterious job listings indicating that Xbox 360 and PS3 owners would soon know the joy of tower toppling -- however, we've not seen anything as concrete as a recent help wanted ad from EA's Boom Blox team. According to the listing, "our last two titles were Wii-based, but our next titles will be for the next generation." We assume they actually mean the current generation's high definition consoles. Otherwise, whoa, we just confirmed the PS4. This job listing, which was initially discovered by internet detective extraordinaire supererogatory, is supported by two other EA job listings he (or she) previously uncovered -- both of which reference Project Natal or the unnamed PlayStation Motion Controller. Unless the studio is changing directions to work on a motion-controlled Mirror's Edge (which would be unimaginably dangerous on Natal), the odds of an upcoming high-def Boom Blox announcement seem pretty good.
Crystal Dynamics hiring for an 'AAA' game
Current Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics hasn't had much good news to report, with much of its workforce laid off, and disappointing sales of Tomb Raider Underworld. However, a job listing posted on Gamasutra's job search site reveals that the company is still at work, bringing in at least one new hire for something big."Crystal Dynamics has a rare opening for a Senior Art Director on one of the most prestigious AAA franchises in the industry," the listing opens. The obvious, exciting conclusion to be inferred from the fact that Crystal Dynamics is working on a new big-budget franchise game: Gex is coming back. We suppose there's also the remote possibility that it could beTomb Raider.[Via Develop]
Job listing suggests Microsoft working on 300K-player game
A job listing found on both Gamasutra and Microsoft's careers website is seeking out an engineer to work on a "game" that will support up to "300,000 players in real-time." The job ad states that Microsoft is working on "building an extremely high performance system to extend console games to the server in new ways" and that it's "creating a completely new set of web services" for Xbox Live and Xbox.com integration. It sounds to us like Microsoft is planning to overhaul the Dashboard and Xbox Live service and combine it with an MMO-like system (given the 300K-player support). Or, it could be building a separate virtual world interface like Sony's PlayStation Home. What do you think Microsoft could be working on?[Via CVG]
