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Apple hiring iPhone antenna engineers for some reason
Three Apple job postings for iPhone / iPad antenna engineers to "Define and implement antenna system architecture to optimize the radiation performance for wireless portable devices." All three were posted on June 23rd, the same day that we started seeing widespread reporting of the left-handed reception issues. Coincidence? [Thanks, Abe]
Amazon job posting hints at 'completely new' video game technology
We love it: Stealth projects! New technology! Amazon has only recently announced that it will be selling Xbox Live Arcade content, and now it seems that the company has its feelers out for a new Senior Product Manager for Digital Video Games. Are you "smart, analytical, and enthusiastic?" Care to develop and launch a "stealth project" that will result in "a completely new type of technology for customers?" We thought you might be. Hit up that source link to get started. For our part, we look forward to seeing what comes of all this. [Thanks, Daniel]
Ogmento secures $3.5 million for augmented reality game development and publishing
Augmented reality game developer and publisher Ogmento this morning announced that it has secured the first $3.5 million of venture capital funding for development. The exciting news? That means the company is hiring. "The key thing is really we're looking to partner, and hire folks, so we'd love to get that word out," Ogmento co-founder Ori Inbar told us in a phone interview earlier today. "What we do is we go after people that we've either known for many years or people that have passion about augmented reality, and have good experience in game design or art. It's a lot about passion." But that first round of funding won't just go to expanding the still nascent company's New York (R&D) and LA (development) offices with passionate people -- Inbar told us Ogmento plans on using part to release a few titles this year, "leading on mobile." That said, he was also happy to talk about possible console developments in the future. "Sony's EyeToy camera is basically enabling a whole set of augmented reality games ... and Project Natal will enable something similar. Then of course there is the DSi/3DSi and PSP platforms which are already embracing AR. When you see a game like LittleBigPlanet include AR into its development, you know this is a technology with some serious potential." Ogmento is currently composed of eight employees, including industry veterans Brian Selzer ("he's heading up the creative in the company," former senior director of Marvel properties at Hands-On Mobile) and Brad Foxhoven (former strategic consultant for ... everything). As far as announcements with game developers or publishers attached, Inbar says we'll "hear more soon."
Rumor: Chicago's North/Halsted Apple Store opening this July
A tipster sends news that we're closer than ever to the opening of the new Apple Store in Chicago, at the intersection of North and Halsted. We first heard about this store just over a year ago, and since then, we've heard that Apple's made a significant investment in the project, beefing up the burgeoning retail area just above the Red Line stop there. Construction is well underway, and now our tipster tells us that the opening is set for sometime during July or August of this year. The store is working on hiring right now; while some of the management will be brought in from other stores in the area, we're told that they plan to hire about 160 employees to start, including Geniuses, Specialists, and everything else. Of course, these dates aren't set in stone -- the store will likely open when it's good and ready. But we're told that the staff should be trained and ready and in the store about a week before it opens, so once that is worked out, they'll be good to go. And sure enough, the jobs page over at Apple says that they are hiring at the "Lincoln Park" store now. Having lived in the area for a while, I'd actually call that intersection part of the Clybourn Corridor. Apple wants the name recognition of the primo neighborhood, though, so the Lincoln Park Apple Store it is.
Bungie hiring 'Personal Assistant/Gopher' to help with office relocation
Are you always a Johnny (or Julie)-on-the-Spot when one of your friends asks for help with a big cross-town move? You may be able to exercise those skills in a more profitable manner by applying for a position which just came open at Bungie: A "Personal Assistant/Gopher" who will tag along with the Studio Head, and "assist in the coordination of a major office relocation/move." Which office is moving, and where are they moving to, you might be wondering? That's a great question -- one that's not answered by the fairly discrete hiring notice. We certainly hope Bungie hasn't decided to move in with Activision, however. We're sure they've got room for them, but ... well, it's far too early in the relationship to put that kind of pressure on either party. Not to mention the fact that they'd be living in sin.
Former Nintendo VP Denise Kaigler joins 38 Studios
It appears that Denise Kaigler has returned to Massachusetts, as the former Nintendo VP of corporate affairs has announced that she's taken a position as chief marketing officer at Curt Schilling's 38 Studios. The notably vocal ex-Nintendo exec vacated her position at NoA late last year, saying then that she wished to spend more time with her family. Kaigler told us in an email this morning that "While at Nintendo, I was commuting regularly between SF, NYC, Seattle and my home outside of Boston. But we're all together now." In her new position, Kaigler serves as lead coordinator for all (but not thirty-eight) development studios operated by 38, including Big Huge Games and the team working on the "Copernicus" MMO. As CMO, Kaigler will also lead the publisher's marketing charge, we presume. Given her outspoken nature in the past, we also presume we'll be hearing more from Kaigler in the not too distant future.
LFM: Massively is hiring again!
Are you passionate about your favorite MMO? Do you have a particular skill with the written word? We're looking to expand our ranks with a few MMO-loving writers, and if you answer yes to both of those questions, we want to hear from you. Please read this entire post before submitting any kind of application. I know it's long, but to do this job, you need to be able to read and follow instructions. Proving that you can starts right now.
Apple hiring camera expert for iPad, may include USB Audio support with connection kit
I still haven't picked up an iPad yet, though I'm pretty convinced I will soon -- even if I don't need one myself, there's obviously a lot of great apps out there to try. But already there's rumbling that the camera train is due for a stop at iPad station. Apple is hiring a new member of the iPad team, and they're asking for a strong ability to "test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks." We've already seen that there's room in the device for a camera, so it's a pretty good guess that whenever the next version of the iPad rolls around (hopefully later rather than sooner for you early adopters), there will be a camera included. And in other iPad news, there are also rumors going around that the iPad's camera connection kit might support USB Audio as well. That's a bit of a surprise -- you wouldn't expect a kit for connecting a camera to also have USB Audio drivers included, but it is basically just a USB connector for the iPad's docking port, so maybe some crafty engineer at Apple has included support for another standard just for the heck of it. I'm sure plenty of audio pros will be grateful if it's true. [via Engadget]
Google hires Mark DeLoura as game 'developer advocate'
[DeLoura at Johnny Rockets, 2006; gamedev.net] Industry veteran Mark DeLoura begins his position as "developer advocate" of games at Google today, ending a 34-month stint as a game technology consultant. DeLoura has traded numerous jobs and advisory roles in the industry since beginning as a lead engineer for Nintendo in 1995. Having once served as manager of developer relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America, DeLoura becomes the second former SCEA man to be hired by Google within its lively loosely defined games division. Until April 2009, Bernie Stolar, the first executive VP of SCEA, was known as Google's "game evangelist" for two years. In his new role at Google, DeLoura will work with game developers, both "traditional" and "new," to provide support for and information about creating games for Google's various platforms, which could include Android, O3D (its open-source web API) and the in-progress Chrome OS. DeLoura described the developer advocate position as "both inward- and outward-facing" and suggested that he will seek to make it "easier for developers to express themselves and share the experiences they create" for Google. As for the Google mission, DeLoura said, "They seek to build platforms by working interactively with their partners, providing a big tent so everyone can get involved." Big tent, huh? Sounds like there's at least a free lunch in it for any developer open to taking a peek at what Google's offering.
Netflix looking to hire 'Android video playback expert'
Netflix will stop at nothing, we say -- nothing -- until you have the ability to watch films like Failure to Launch and Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom on every conceivable device in your possession. It's hit the Wii, it's coming to the iPhone, and now? That's right, the kids at Los Gatos want YOU to help "build Instant Streaming client implementations on Android devices." Are you "a senior engineer with a strong background in embedded and mobile development, specifically on media-enabled devices," with over ten years experience, hands-on experience with media playback on the Android platform, and a knack for DRM technologies? You're in luck! Hit the source link to get started. And if you do get hired, make sure you keep us in the loop as things progress. You owe us at least that much, right? [Thanks, jt.shen]
Incoming, outgoing Apple employees
A few Apple employees played some musical chairs this week. Executive Pablo Calamera, who was in charge of MobileMe while at Apple, is off to work as the CTO of Thumbplay, a company that peddles ringtones and music to mobile devices. HR shouldn't have to change the big "35,000 employed worldwide" sign, though: former Mozilla security chief Window Snyder was picked up by Apple this week. She'll jump in as a senior security product manager, a job that will take advantage of her work both at Mozilla and previously at Microsoft, where she worked on both Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Sure, she's got the experience, but has she ever worked for a company that does this for its incoming employees? Didn't think so.
LFM: Massively is looking for a few good bloggers!
Are you passionate about your favorite MMO? Do you have a particular skill with the written word? We're looking to expand our ranks with a few MMO-loving columnists, and if you answer yes to both of those questions, we want to hear from you. Please read this entire post before submitting any kind of application. I know it's long, but to do this job, you need to be able to read and follow instructions. Proving that you can starts right now.
ArenaNet LFM for Guild Wars 2
Do you have mad programming, writing, or art skills? (We're going to assume you love MMOs since you're here.) If you do and are either in the Bellevue, WA area, or are willing to relocate, then you'll want to check this out. The ArenaNet team have over a dozen positions currently posted on their website, and looking for more people to help them bring Guild Wars 2 to life. Current openings are for a host of positions: animators; QT specialists; web services and game programming; writing; and even a French community manager. So if you've ever wanted to join the ranks of the games industry and have the chops, get your resume and cover letter together and send them over to ArenaNet! Who knows -- perhaps we'll wind up interviewing you for Massively some day!
Funcom Games Canada hires new CEO and plans to expand
2009 wasn't the best year to be in the business of making games, to the point where some of us weren't expecting good news like a major publisher hiring new people -- but it's happening. And it's not a small hiring push, either, aiming in the 100-150 range. That's the latest news from Funcom, whose recently opened Canadian studio has appointed a new CEO for the division. Miguel Caron is going to be in charge of building up the staff of Funcom Games Canada, as well as overseeing the studio during the development of The Secret World -- according to Ragnar Tornquist, the Montreal-based expansion will play a key role in the game's development. Even if you aren't looking forward to The Secret World, however, it's excellent to have news of a company not facing security trouble, layoffs, or shutdowns. Although the timeframe for the expected hirings is a year and a half, that's still a lot of work being generated by Funcom, which is a boon to both their existing games and their newfound plans of focusing on the casual gaming market. Let's hope this kicks off a trend of more positive news for the industry this year. We certainly need it.
Portal lead Kim Swift heads to Airtight Games for 'new, unnamed project'
Best known for her work on Joystiq's 2007 Game of the Year, Portal, Valve's Kim Swift is reportedly leaving her current position for Dark Void developer Airtight Games. According to Develop, she'll be heading up a team of developers working on a "new, unnamed project" for the US-based company. Airtight prez Jim Deal says that he's "thrilled to work with Kim," and that "her addition to the team represents a strategic move ... into new and broader gaming markets." Swift's team will be tasked with creating "games aimed at a more diverse audience" -- a challenge Swift appears ready to handle. "I've learned so much and had some amazing experiences at Valve, but when I heard I had the opportunity to work on innovative titles with my friends over at Airtight, I couldn't pass it up." And now we wait (and hope) for the puzzle-based air combat game that's sure to come of this partnership.
WoW.com is LFM: Priest and Hunter columnists
WoW.com is looking for new writers for the weekly Spiritual Guidance and Scattered Shots class columns. Every week you will dazzle our readers with your words of wisdom covering everything from leveling guides to raid tactics to PvP strats to major patch analysis to recommended add-ons for all specs and playstyles. You don't need to play all those ways (we all need a life), but you need to be able to research and write on the topics you don't have personal experience with. If this sounds like the chance you've been waiting for, you'll find all the information you need to apply on our applications page. Be sure to submit everything asked for. Being able to follow simple instructions is part of the job. You have until end of day, Friday, December 11th to send in your app. As for the former column writers, fear not. Matt Low is staying on board here at WoW.com to continue his raid healing column and sharding of legendaries (and you can also catch him at World of Matticus). Eddie Carrington is focusing on his personal site, The Hunting Lodge, one of the premiere Hunter community destinations on the Internet. P.S. Yes, this is a paid position. How to apply to write for WoW.com EDIT: We have found the columnists we are looking for and are in the process of contracting them now. You should be seeing them in January. Thanks all who applied. In both cases, it was very close call among the top contenders. We'll make an announcement on who they are when the ink on the contracts are dry.
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!]
GameStop hiring 15,000 temporary employees this holiday
Like other retailers, North America's largest video game brick-and-mortar chain will be gearing up for the holiday sales rush with a flood of new, temporary employees. GameStop is bolstering its "game advisors" numbers by 78% (see: grunts) and the company's total employee population by 46% (see: covenant) -- that's 15,000 people altogether, RTT News reports.While the employees will be considered "seasonal," they will reportedly receive the same benefits to working at the company as any other employee, including game borrowing and an employee discount. No word on whether they'll also get the complimentary demoralization and up-selling technique training.
Jonathan Blow hiring 'full-body motion tracking' programmer
It's been a while since we've heard anything regarding Braid developer Jonathan Blow's next project, The Witness -- however, if a recent post on Blow's blog is any indication, the "philosophical, and quiet" game might be moving in an unexpected direction. According to the post, Blow is "hiring another programmer into the new company, to do very interesting work with full-body motion tracking." We contacted Blow to see if this new hire would be working on The Witness, and whether the motion tracking technology mentioned is Project Natal. He responded by saying he "can't talk about this right now," and added, "it may not even actually happen (depending on whether I can find someone qualified to do it!)." So, there you have it. If you've got experience with body movin' (body, body movin'), it sounds like Blow could use a hand. And an arm! And a torso. And a ... yeah, you got it.
Sega of America taps Maeda for COO
Sega's made some strides in trying to reach the Western market and its choice for the new head of Sega of America would seem to indicate the company wants to keep the progress going. Masanao Maeda will serve as the branch's new chief operating officer, Sega has announced. Though not a Bernie Stollar-level household name, Maeda has helped the company expand into the West from Sega's Japanese HQ, so it'll be interesting to see how effective he can be in the effort stateside. (Psst, Maeda: More House of the Dead: Overkill, please. Thanks.)
