Careers at Irrational

Irrational Games is Expanding

Irrational Games is looking to expand considerably in the near future in order to take gaming innovation to the next level! Our studio currently consists of more than one hundred talented people and is known for its work on BioShock.

Careers at Irrational Games

Irrational Games is always hiring for the right candidate! If you are a talented programmer, artist, designer, QA tester or manager and you believe that you have something unique to offer us, please apply. We will seriously consider your application even if we don’t have a specific vacancy in your area of expertise listed. We are primarily interested in recruiting people who can demonstrate their understanding of how to create great games whatever their level of experience in the industry. Irrational Games offers generous salary packages and relocation within the US or internationally. So if you’re interested in working at a studio that is at the cutting edge of the industry, that makes awesome games, and that fosters creativity and a sense of fun, then Irrational Games may just be the place for you!

Open Positions Expand all | Collapse all
  • Art: Character Artist

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a talented Character Artist. Industry experience is not a prerequisite. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with modeling, sculpting, and texturing a diverse range of characters, and be well versed in game art-production methodology.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • A comprehensive modeling and texturing portfolio showing a varied range of character art held to a very high standard.
    • Extensive experience using 3D Studio Max  or Maya for modeling, and Photoshop for texturing.
    • Exceptional sculpting ability in ZBrush in relation to game art workflows.
    • An understanding of all current-generation production workflows as they pertain to character-art production.
    • A keen understanding of the human form/anatomy and structure/silhouette in respect to modeling.
    • A detail-obsessed eye for creating and manipulating texture maps, and an excellent understanding of the value of UV space.
    • A great team player: self-motivated, with good communication skills.
    • Accurately follow common goals and tasks while working under own initiative. Perform other duties as assigned.

    REQUIREMENTS

    • Have shipped relevant console titles as a Character Artist.
    • Strong traditional-art foundations, including but not limited to figure drawing, photography, and illustration.
    • An appreciation and understanding of fashion and street style.

    To be considered for this position, you must submit your portfolio along with your résumé.

    Apply for this position
  • Art: FX Artist

    Irrational is looking for an FX artist to implement FX and animation in AAA titles. The FX Artist will work directly with directors and leads to maintain the high quality of work expected at Irrational Games, while staying within technical limitations.

    Responsibilities:

    • Implement game and cinematic FX while staying within set technical budgets.
    • Work with directors and leads to meet quality goals.
    • Maintain both technical and company standards.
    • Develop FX from scratch using Photoshop, 3D Max, Cascade, etc.
    • Optimize FX to improve performance across multiple platforms.
    • Work closely with programmers to develop and implement FX technology.

    Qualifications:

    • Shipped titles with Unreal Editor and Unreal Cascade.
    • Takes direction well.
    • Experience with scene lighting and layout.
    • Strong grasp of cinematic theory and language.
    • Ability to come up with elegant solutions to complex and often highly technical problems.
    • 2+ years of game-industry experience with shipped titles.
    • Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, 3ds Max and/or Maya.

    Extra Credit

    • Concept experience.
    • Film or theater background.
    • Storyboard background.

    When submitting resume, please make sure to include your portfolio or demo reel.

    Apply for this position
  • Art: Lead FX Artist

    Irrational is looking for a Lead FX Artist to manage a small art team while implementing FX and animation in AAA titles. The FX Lead will be working directly with directors and other leads to maintain the high quality of work expected at Irrational Games while staying within technical limitations. The FX Lead’s time will be split between managing a small team and working in directly in-engine creating FX.

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Managing a small team of artists in the implementation of FX in an Unreal engine-based game.
    • Working with producers on scheduling and scoping out production tasks.
    • Implementing FX in games while staying within set art and technical budgets.
    • Working with directors and other leads to meet quality goals.
    • Maintaining both technical and departmental standards.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • Shipped titles with Unreal Editor and Unreal Cascade.
    • Ability to take direction well.
      Experience with scene lighting and layout.
    • Strong grasp of cinematic theory and language.
    • Ability to come up with elegant solutions to complex and often highly technical problems.
    • 4+ years of game-industry experience with shipped titles.
    • Proficient in 3D Studio Max and/or Maya.
    • Proficient in Adobe Photoshop.

    EXTRA CREDIT

    • Concept experience.
    • Film or theater background.
    • Storyboard background.

    Must submit your portfolio or reel when applying.

    Apply for this position
  • Art: Tech Artist

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is seeking an experienced Technical Artist. As a Technical Artist, you will serve as the bridge between Art and Engineering to ensure that the art pipeline meets the needs of both parties. You must have a strong understanding of and experience with modern AAA game-development pipelines. You will be responsible for working with the team to improve the art pipeline, from initial asset creation to final polish and optimization for consoles.

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Support the Art team in managing and improving their processes by: identifying and eliminating pipeline bottlenecks, diagnosing software problems (both internal and external), researching new technologies/workflows, and advocating for team education/personal development.
    • Improve complex cross-departmental communication and work flow. Work with department leads to plan, test, and implement solutions. Roll out solutions to the team, with clear documentation and continued support.
    • Serve as a bridge between the Art and Engineering departments. Be self-driven in communicating between departments. Ensure that Art and Engineering have a good understanding of each other’s objectives and concerns. You will often need to explain complex technical issues to non-technical people, and vice versa.
    • Collaborate with a team of Technical Artists in the creation and maintenance of art tools, using multiple scripting languages. Build production-ready tools from scratch, including UI and documentation. Continuously improve existing tools based on production needs and artist feedback.
    • Know what healthy and optimized content looks like. Develop content budgets based on specific technical limitations. Come up with best practices to stay within these budgets and teach these to the team. Work with leads to enforce and revise budgets as needed.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • 3-5 years of industry experience.
    • Ability to clearly explain complex, technical concepts to non-technical people.
    • Ability to work with others to solve complex problems that span multiple disciplines.
    • Ability to adapt quickly to the changing needs of the team/project.
    • A solid understanding of and/or experience in all parts of the art-production pipeline, including: Concepting, Modeling, Uving/texturing, Shaders, Rigging, Animation, Effects/Particle Systems, UI, Lighting, Physics, Scripting, and Gameplay Systems.
    • Experience developing, distributing, and supporting custom art tools.
    • Fluent and comfortable using one or more scripting languages, including MaxScript, Python, JavaScript, dotNet, C#.
    • Equal passions for:
      • creating visually stunning content
      • content optimization
      • workflow/pipeline improvement

    PLUSES

    • A solid understanding of and/or experience with multiple game engines and pipelines.
    • Deep understanding of Unreal 3.
    • Expertise in one or more of the following technical disciplines:Concept experience.
      • Pipeline management/optimization
      • Asset Tracking
      • Shader Creation
      • Image processing
      • Interface design
      • Database scripting and design

    When submitting resume, please make sure to include your portfolio or demo reel.

    Apply for this position
  • Audio: Audio Programmer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a talented Audio Programmer. The Audio Programmer will work closely with the Audio Department to create cutting-edge features as well as audio pipeline tools. We are particularly interested in programmers who not only have technical skills but also a passion for audio and how it can impact the overall player experience.

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Working with the audio-content creators to determine the best approach to implementing audio-system tasks.
    • Designing effective audio/music/VO tools for content creators.
    • Coordinating with the leads and other programmers on scheduling and implementation concerns.
    • Generating design, planning, and technical-specification documents for assigned tasks.
    • Implementing audio systems according to schedule.
    • Working with the Audio Lead and Sound Designers to refine and polish the audio, music, and narrative experience.
    • Working with the QA staff to identify and fix bugs in a timely manner.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • 5+ years of experience as an Audio, Gameplay, or Tools Programmer.
    • Excellent communication skills and interest in working with the Audio Department in a cooperative team environment.
    • Excellent understanding of C/C++ and OO design principles.
    • Excellent understanding of audio middleware and dynamic music systems.
    • Commitment to code quality, documentation, and sound testing procedures.
    • Interest in pushing the limits of audio development and technology.

    PLUSES

    • Experience working with the Unreal Engine.
    • Experience with procedural audio techniques (e.g., custom DSP filters, ray-traced reverb).
    • Experience with Sound Propagation and Obstruction systems.
    • 3 or more shipped PC or console game titles, FPS or RPG titles preferred.
    • Experience developing for game consoles and PC.
    • B.S. or B.A. degree in computer science or related engineering field.
    Apply for this position
  • Design: Design Manager

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is seeking a highly experienced Design Manager to serve as a team leader and design advocate for our world-class design team. The Design Manager’s primary responsibility is to schedule, lead, and manage the design team on a day-to-day basis. This role oversees the staffing, organization, and professional development of the game design department.

    Responsibilities:

    • The Design Manager’s primary responsibility is to schedule, lead and manage the design team on a day to day basis.
    • Work with the Designers and Creative Director to manage and communicate the overall vision and design goals of the game to the studio at large.
    • Work closely with management to maintain a strong department with a high level of engagement and steady team satisfaction.
    • Ensure that design deliverables meet quality and consistency standards across the team.
    • Work with Designers to facilitate the creation of game-design documentation from inception through implementation.
    • Work with producers on design scheduling and staff assignments based on project needs.
    • Ensure that design deliverables meet a high level of quality and timeliness.
    • Work with other department managers and directors to ensure effective cross-department communication.
    • Evaluate effectiveness of processes and make recommendations for improvement.
    • Seek out, evaluate, and implement feedback from all relevant sources to constantly improve the game.
    • Mentor and shape design team to foster one cohesive group dedicated to creating the best possible game experiences. Guide team members with training as well as development and career goals.
    • Write reviews for and handle administration of Design Leads.

    Requirements:

    • 6+ years as a game designer in the video game industry.
    • 4+ years of experience managing direct reports.
    • Shipped a minimum of 3 game titles from pre-production through ship.
    • Proven knowledge of game design, theory, and execution.
    • A strong passion for and experience with first-person shooters.
    • Ability to motivate a team with positive leadership.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
    • The ability to quickly learn new engines and game technologies.
    • Strong design-documentation skills.

    Pluses:

    • Strong understanding of the Unreal engine in a multiplatform environment.
    • Previous level-design experience or alternatively previous systems-design experience in a first-person shooter.
    • Ability to visually represent abstract concepts.
    Apply for this position
  • Design: Level Designer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for talented, experienced game designers to help craft the experience on our current project, BioShock Infinite.

    Responsibilities:

    • Work with our design tools to build encounters and narrative scenes.
    • Coordinate with artists and programmers to create levels that are second to none in the industry.
    • Analyze and critique game designs and levels.
    • Work with the team to form a “vision” of your levels and use that vision to inform your design decisions.
    • Communicate that vision clearly and concisely to the rest of the team.
    • Provide a receptive ear so that other team members can offer input on the game design.
    • Respond to feedback from Leads and Directors in a timely fashion.
    • Help us push our development tools further by identifying issues and presenting ideas for solutions.
    • Seek out all available information on your area of responsibility (reference films, books, etc.) and be able to respond to spontaneous inquiries on the matter.
    • Critique all aspects of the game and offer suggestions on how to improve them.
    • Be familiar with the current state of game design across a wide range of genres on both PC and console.
    • Constantly look for opportunities to improve and expand your skill set.
    • Become an expert in our toolset.
    • Seize opportunities to assist others and help elevate the project.

    Requirements:

    • Minimum of 1-2 shipped AAA game titles
    • 3+ years of experience creating first-person levels using Unreal, Quake, Half-Life, or similar technologies for commercial titles. (This must be demonstrated through actual levels created for these engines.)
    • Interest in and understanding of architecture, lighting, texturing, and other elements that are required to create aesthetically pleasing 3D levels.
    • Familiar with BioShock and other 2K Boston/Irrational products and able to speak critically about them.
    • Understanding of contemporary 3D first-person engine technologies and editing tools.
    • Understanding of and desire to create first-person shooter gameplay.
    • High degree of creativity, enthusiasm, and passion.
    • Ability to use basic programming or scripting tools.
    • Ability to work and contribute effectively in a team environment.
    • Ability to meet deadlines.
    • Good communication skills.

    Pluses:

    • Unreal Engine experience is preferred.
    • Narrative design experience is preferred.

    When Applying for this Position:
    Please remember to include video, screenshots, or saved games for levels that you created in the past. Game-design documents, writing samples, and/or game analysis should be submitted as appropriate.

    Apply for this position
  • Design: Systems Designer

    Irrational Games, the team that created the original BioShock, is looking for talented, experienced game designers to help craft the experience on our next big project, BioShock Infinite.

    As a Systems Designer, you’ll be the man in the middle of the million moving parts that transform high-level gameplay concepts into concrete player experience (and back again).

    You’ll need to think on your feet during heated brainstorming sessions, drill down for detailed documentation and possess the technical acumen to dive in and hook it all up yourself when necessary.  You’ll also need a strong understanding of level design, gameplay pacing and global balance to keep a holistic view of how it all fits together when the rubber meets the road of moment to moment gameplay.

    A bit of a jack of all trades, if you will.  And we hope you will.  Come join us!

    Responsibilities:

    • Primary ownership for the design, prototyping and fostering of one or more core gameplay systems, including player mechanics, world simulation and/or AI
    • Lead, coordinate and participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary sub-teams to implement and balance gameplay features from initial design to final polish
    • Author, revise and provide feedback on internal design documentation, including feature specifications and implementation guides
    • Collaborate with the design team to incorporate systems into level gameplay and maintain overall balance between multiple gameplay systems
    • Continually iterate, balance and tune features and gameplay based on feedback from design leads, QA and playtesting
    • Lead collaboration and facilitate communication across studio locations as the primary stakeholder and champion of one or more gameplay sub-systems

    Qualifications

    Education/Experience:

    • 3+ Years of game development experience, ideally in a systems design capacity
    • Previous experience with gameplay scripting or programming languages
    • At least one shipped title in the current generation of consoles

    Skills:

    • Superb written oral communication skills
    • Strong ability to deconstruct high level gameplay systems and creative direction into specific technical details, features, and tasks
    • Ability to work in highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, iterative environment, while delivering under deadlines and time constraints
    • Exhaustive knowledge of competitive products and industry trends
    • Ability to learn new software tools and technologies.  Previous experience with Unreal a plus
    • Some travel may be required

    When Applying for this Position:
    Please remember to include  video, screenshots, or save game files that illustrate game-defining features that you created in the past.  Game design documents, writing samples and/or game analysis should be submitted as appropriate. To be considered for this position you must submit salary requirements.

    Apply for this position
  • IT: IT Manager

    Reporting to the Director of Operations, the IT Manager is charged with strategic planning and operational leadership to support the IT goals of Irrational Games. The IT Manager is responsible for managing a small IT team consisting of a mix of engineering and help-desk personnel supporting both business users and game-production staff.

    Primary Responsibilities:

    • Ensure that employee and business issues are resolved in a satisfactory and timely manner consistent with all company polices and expectations.  Demonstrate strategic thinking when pursuing issue resolution and end objectives.
    • Identify trends and root causes of problems and implement the necessary remediation and process improvement plans.
    • Provide on-the-job instruction, mentoring, and guidance to our IT team.
    • Work closely with product development and QA to select and implement solutions to support workflow and development processes.
    • Manage partner relationships and negotiate purchasing of equipment.
    • Coordinate with other 2K IT Managers to identify problems and shape policy.

    Experience:

    • 8 or more years of diverse IT experience with significant depth in infrastructure management.
    • Project-management experience is preferred.
    • Experience with managing IT spending and forecasting.
    • Experience managing a small team with a customer-service orientation.
    • Excellent problem identification, analysis, and solving skills.
    • Excellent written and oral communication.
    • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or MIS preferred.
    • IT experience in software development, the games industry, or other digital media (e.g., animated feature films, motion-picture visual effects, or broadcast media) is preferred.

    Technical Skills:

    • Windows Server 2008 R2 management.
    • Active Directory and global policy management.
    • Linux management, preferably RHEL.
    • Operational knowledge of database management systems (e.g. MSSQL or MySQL).
    • Basic Cisco ASA and switch/router configuration.
    • Source-control management software administration (Perforce preferred).
    • Backup software management and disaster-recovery policies and procedures.
    • Enterprise storage management (NetApp experience is preferred).
    • VMware vSphere administration.
    • Experience with game-development consoles or prototype hardware is a plus.
    Apply for this position
  • Narrative: Writer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a talented, experienced Writer to join our Narrative team. As a Writer, you’ll work closely with the Creative Director and Lead Writer to create and implement compelling stories, characters, and content that are the backbone of the game’s narrative.

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Assisting in the creation and execution of the core story, including writing of dialogue and narrative elements as directed.
    • Gathering and presenting reference materials and being a resource for the Narrative team.
    • Adhering to guidelines and standards to maximize asset quality within technological constraints.
    • Other tasks as directed by the Narrative management team.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • At least 1 shipped game in the role of a Writer.
    • Outstanding communication skills.
    • Ability to meet deadlines.
    • Ability to work within technical constraints and generate top-quality writing.
    • Experience with Final Draft, Adobe Story, or similar screenwriting software.
    Apply for this position
  • Programming

    Irrational Games is looking for programmers at all experience levels to join our tech and gameplay teams on BioShock Infinite.  Whether you are a grizzled veteran of the video game wars or have only one game under your belt, if you think you have what it takes, we want to hear from you.

    Our programmers build the systems and tools that our content creators will use to create the amazing game experiences that Irrational Games is known for. They need great communication skills, a passion for building games, and the ability to work in as many different technical areas (physics, audio, graphics, animation, AI, optimization, multithreading, SPU programming, networking, etc.) as it takes to “make things happen”.

    If you join our team, you will be responsible for:

    • One or more major areas of the game software, and/or multiple systems
    • Working closely with the content creators to help them achieve their goals
    • Working with your manager to generate technical designs and schedules
    • Writing, documenting and testing the code that you design
    • Supervising junior or mid-level programmers (if applicable)

    Required Experience and Skills:

    • Excellent understanding of C/C++
    • Commitment to code quality, documentation and sound testing procedures
    • Strong communication and interpersonal skills

    Preferred Experience and Skills:

    • Experience working primarily on any of the following: Gameplay, Real-Time Graphics, AI, Audio, Physics, Optimization, SPU Programming, Multiplayer Networking, or Tools
    • One or more shipped game titles
    • Experience with recent game console technology (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), especially PS3
    • Experience with Unreal Engine technology

    When Applying for this Position:

    • Only applications with salary requirements will be considered.
    • Please let us know how you heard that we were hiring.
    Apply for this position
  • Programming: A.I. Principal Programmer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for an A.I. Programmer. The A.I. Programmer is responsible for A.I. systems and content workflow that are critical to forging top-quality creative products at Irrational Games. The role supports the development of the A.I. and its overall quality. This includes ensuring the productive use of A.I. systems by coordinating and communicating with the rest of the team.

    The primary objectives of the A.I. Programmer role are to create the best-in-industry A.I. experience for all products on all platforms, to maintain a culture of cutting-edge technology and team-oriented productivity, and to ensure there is appropriate focus and direction on A.I. for all necessary disciplines.

    Responsibilities:

    • Make the game A.I. compelling and fun, keeping the underlying systems simple and elegant.
    • Develop A.I. technology fitting to product direction.
    • Design effective tool chains for content creators.
    • Work closely with content creators to ensure strong understanding and consistent usage of A.I. technology.
    • Work closely with managers and vision-holders to drive product and company direction.
    • Work with and organize A.I.-related content direction including animation, character modeling, audio, level design, combat design, narrative design, and general system design.
    • Manage the schedule and resource requirements for the A.I. team to meet quality and time goals.
    • Ensure that A.I. adheres to memory and performance constraints while meeting quality goals for all publishing platforms.
    • Provide voice and visibility to the company on behalf of the A.I.
    • Mentor A.I. team members for professional growth, quality, and performance.
    • Evaluate and interview potential candidates for A.I.-related development.

    Requirements:

    • 5+ years of commercial game industry experience, 2+ years focused on A.I., and at least 1 shipped title.
    • 2+ years of experience managing a team.
    • Strong understanding of A.I. design and technology.
    • Strong C/C++ programming ability.
    • Strong math skills.
    • Passion, appreciation, and an eye for quality game design.
    • Ability to adapt to changing scope, direction, and technology.
    • Excellent communication skills.

    Pluses:

    • Experience with the Unreal Engine and/or Kynapse.
    Apply for this position
  • Programming: Build Engineer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a Build Engineer to maintain and improve the build system. This role is responsible for ensuring the build runs smoothly as the size and complexity of product increases. You’ll implement feature requests and new technologies to optimize the build process and enhance the performance of the entire build infrastructure. As part of the build team that is in charge of all final product delivery, you will work with producers and the QA department to ensure we produce high-quality products.

    Responsibilities

    • Ensure that the finished product is compliant with publisher submission requirements.
    • Build, manage, and maintain automation processes while investigating build failures.
    • Ensure that automation processes are running smoothly.
    • Increase productivity by figuring out how to give more work to computers.
    • Engage various teams and present build and release pipelines in a clear manner.
    • Always be on the lookout for ways to reduce workload and fine-tune software deployment.

    Requirements:

    • At least 3+ years working with C++ and C#.
    • 1+ or more years in build, test, release, and deployment automation.
    • Prior experience with distributed build systems.
    • Familiarity with various build-automation solutions such as make, (N)Ant, or Maven.
    • Familiarity with SQL.
    • Good understanding of source-control management software, such as Perforce.
    • Solid software-engineering background, able to read code and understand its basic form and function.

    Pluses:

    • Experience with Unreal Engine 3 and Microsoft Team Foundation Services.
    • Experience with continuous integration tools such as CruiseControl, Bamboo, or Hudson.
    • Experience with release management, live service software, and large-scale global application deployment.
    Apply for this position
  • Programming: Graphics Programmer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a Graphics Programmer. As a Graphics Programmer, you will collaborate with the Principal Graphics Programmer and Technical Artists to create tools and technology that help the art team achieve our artistic vision. We are looking for people who will push the latest graphics hardware with state-of-the-art techniques, while meeting performance goals and always working with a laser-like focus on a high-quality end result.

    Responsibilities:

    • Debug, profile and optimize rendering systems and shaders on the latest hardware and platforms.
    • Keep abreast of the latest state-of-the-art rendering techniques.
    • Find original solutions to rendering problems in our games.
    • Translate published graphics papers and techniques into shippable code.
    • Work with Technical Artists to produce process and tool documentation explaining how to get the most out of the renderer.

    Qualifications:

    • 1+ year(s) of PC or console graphics-development experience.
    • Excellent C++ skills.
    • Strong math skills.
    • Extensive knowledge of vertex and pixel shaders.
    • Familiarity with state-of-the-art rendering techniques and game-asset pipelines.
    • Commitment to code quality, documentation, and sound testing procedures.
    • Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

    Preferred Experience and Skills:

    • 5+ years of PC or console graphics-development experience.
    • Experience with DX11-class hardware and compute shaders.
    • Experience debugging rendering problems on PC and console hardware.
    • Experience building content pipelines and workflows.
    • Experience with parallel programming.
    • Credit on a shipped AAA game.
    • Passion for playing and making great games.
    • Bachelor’s Degree of Computer Science or Engineering.
    Apply for this position
  • Programming: Senior Gameplay Programmer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a talented Senior Gameplay Programmer. Irrational believes in cutting-edge technology married to great game design. Programmer input is a significant part of our game design process, so you should be passionately interested in game development as well as writing great code. We are particularly interested in programmers who not only have technical skills but who care about how that technology can be applied to create amazing player experiences.

    Responsibilities:

    • Working with the content creators to determine the best approach to implementing game system tasks.
    • Coordinating with the lead and other programmers on scheduling and implementation concerns.
    • Generating design, planning, and technical specification documents for assigned tasks.
    • Implementing game systems according to schedule.
    • Generating system-usage documents and test cases for assigned systems.
    • Developing tools and core engine technology as necessary to assist the art and design teams.
    • Working with the lead programmer and content creators to refine and polish the gameplay experience.
    • Working with the QA staff to identify and fix bugs in a timely manner.

    Requirements:

    • 5+ years of experience as a senior-level Gameplay Programmer.
    • Excellent communication skills and interest in working with our game developers in a cooperative team environment.
    • Excellent understanding of C/C++ and OO design principles.
    • Commitment to code quality, documentation, and sound testing procedures.
    • Interested in pushing the limits of game development and technology.

    Pluses:

    • Experience working with the Unreal Engine.
    • 3 or more shipped PC or console game titles, FPS or RPG titles preferred.
    • Experience developing for game consoles and PC
    • B.S. or B.A. degree in computer science or related engineering field.

    Samples:

    • Samples of source code should include a description of the gameplay system being implemented, along with the functional specification for the system.
    • Samples should demonstrate good understanding of C++ and OO design principles.
    Apply for this position
  • Programming: UI Programmer

    We’re looking for talented and experienced programmers to help implement our user interfaces. This position will require a combination of initiative, leadership, design, coding, and daily problem-solving on multiple target platforms. If you have the skills and passion for world-class experiences like BioShock Infinite, then why not come join our team ?

    Responsibilities

    • Building UIs within Unreal Engine 3 using our Flash-based UI tech.
    • Collaborating closely with artists and designers to rapidly iterate on potential UI designs.
    • Working with the Technical Director, Lead Programmer, and other engineers to plan and schedule UI development tasks.
    • Responsible for delivering world-class user interfaces on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 platforms.

    Qualifications

    • Bachelor-level degree in Computer Science or a related discipline.
    • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
    • C++ proficiency and good software engineering intuition.
    • Ability to handle the continuous UI iteration that occurs during development.

    Things That Would Really Make You Stand Out

    • Shipped at least one commercial game title, preferably on a console platform.
    • Experience with Flash and ActionScript programming, especially using Scaleform.
    • Experience using Unreal Engine 2.5 or higher.
    Apply for this position
  • QA: QA Engineer

    Award-winning studio Irrational Games, best known for its BioShock franchise, is looking for a QA Engineer to work with the technology team and the QA department. You will be responsible for all technical tasks related to supporting the QA testing effort, including setting up automated tests, creating metrics-gathering tools, and managing our build system. You should have great communication skills, a passion for making great games, and the ability to work and think creatively when it comes to game quality assurance.

    Responsibilities

    • Develop tools to streamline the testing process, and to make bug reports more effective.
    • Create and maintain automated test suites.
    • Work closely with the QA department to help them achieve their goals.
    • Work with your manager to generate technical designs and schedules.
    • Write, document, and test the code that you design.

    Requirements:

    • 3+ years of experience with C/C++.
    • 1+ year of experience working as a QA Engineer, SDET, or similar role.
    • One or more shipped game titles.
    • Commitment to code quality, documentation, and reliable testing procedures.
    • Strong understanding of software/game QA.
    • Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
    • Strong understanding of Javascript, JQuery, HTML, and CSS.
    • Experience with recent game-console technology (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii).

    Pluses:

    • Strong understanding of C#/.NET.
    • Experience with Unreal Engine technology.
    • Experience working as a game tester.
    Apply for this position
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