ROCKSTAR NORTH, the award winning developer behind Grand Theft Auto, is looking to expand their experienced and talented teams working out of the studio in Edinburgh . For the successful candidate we offer a highly competitive salary, a working environment second to none and an extensive benefits package.
At Rockstar North we like to receive and would encourage direct applications from candidates.
CURRENT POSITIONS
AI Programmer | Animation Programmer | Environment Artists | Facial Animation: Production Coordinator | Facial Rigger | Mission Scripter | Network Programmer | Systems Engineer | UI Graphic Designer | Web Designer | Web Developer |
AI Programmer
Rockstar North is currently seeking an experienced AI programmer. Commercial games experience is essential with at least three years and one published title on PS3 or Xbox 360 to demonstrate your skills. We are looking for a talented engineer to help us in developing advanced Character and Vehicle AI for large scale games. You should have a positive attitude, a passion for games and be able to communicate with people as effectively as you do a computer.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, maintain and extend current AI systems on Xbox 360 and PS3.
- Design and implement advanced and realistic AI to create an immersive game experience for the player.
Requirements:
- Strong C/C++ programming skills
- Strong OO design skills
- Strong 3D math skills
- At least 3 years commercial games programming experience with an emphasis on AI.
- A passion for games and in particular for creating game AI that contributes to an interactive and realistic game experience.
Animation Programmer
Rockstar North is currently seeking an experienced Animation Programmer.
Commercial games experience is essential with at least two years and one published title on PS3 or Xbox 360 to demonstrate your skills.
We are looking for a talented engineer to help us in developing advanced character animation systems for large scale games. You should have a positive attitude, a passion for games and be able to communicate with people as effectively as you do a computer.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, maintain and extend current animation systems on Xbox 360 and PS3.
- Develop and integrate cutting edge animation technologies working closely with colleagues at different Rockstar studios.
- Develop and support the connections between the animation, AI and physics systems.
Requirements:
- Strong C/C++ programming skills.
- Strong OO design skills.
- Strong 3D maths background.
- At least 2 years commercial games programming experience with an emphasis on character animation.
- A passion for games and in particular for leveraging advanced animation technology to create an immersive game experience for the player.
Environment Artists
We'd like to hear from the industry's most talented environment artists.You will be designing, building and texturing the world, have the technical knowledge to achieve great looking results and the skill to get the most from next-gen consoles.
Advanced skills in one or more of the standard industry 3D packages essential. Knowledge of 3DS Max an advantage.
Please accompany the application with links to your portfolio or provide examples of your work.
Facial Animation: Production Coordinator
We are looking for a highly experienced Production Coordinator specializing in Facial Animation to manage the workflow, scheduling and the tracking of assets end to end in our Facial Animation pipeline.
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a production background in video games or CG film/TV animation and be knowledgeable in the software, terminology and technology used in the production of facial animation.
You will be familiar with one or more scheduling methodologies and have a practical background in databases with advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and/or Project.
You will be self-motivated, flexible and able to prioritize effectively to deadlines. You will have excellent communication skills, both interpersonal and in writing with good attention to detail and enjoy working in a multi-disciplined team environment.
You will be willing and able to travel to multiple locations to ensure effective coordination and maximise production efficiency between in-house and outsource teams.
Reporting to the Animation Director you will have the knowledge and practical understanding to identify and help remove production bottlenecks where they occur.
Facial Rigger
Minimum of 3 years Games or Film/TV industry experience required, 5 years preferred.
Requirements
- Extensive knowledge of facial anatomy and the application of that to solving rigging and animation problems.
- Keen eye for facial expression and nuance, with the ability to interpret and execute expressions from video, 3D scans etc.
- Thorough understanding facial topology with respect to modelling as well as animation.
- Experience and knowledge of both bone and morph solutions, with up to date knowledge of new and late-breaking rigging approaches in the field.
- Understanding of and ability to construct scalable rig-solutions for different levels of facial performance
- Knowledge of 3rd party solutions such as FaceFX and Faceware would be beneficial
- Knowledge of game engines and animation pipelines, understanding of how texture and animation compression can affect the final result
- Experience with or understanding of, performance / live facial capture preferred.
- Must be highly proficient in scripting (Maxscript and Python), appropriate ORSDK, C++ knowledge advantageous
- Thorough knowledge of Motionbuilder and 3DS Max essential, must be proficient with expression and scripting approaches for rigging and automation processes.
Mission Scripter
We are looking for individuals whose skill set combines technical excellence with a passion for making games. The role involves script based programming and close collaboration with our other disciplines from animation, art and programming.
As part of the Level Design team you will be using our proprietary in house scripting language to code game missions and create immersive gameplay scenarios featuring AI, physics and interactive storytelling.
Requirements:
- C/C++ programming skills are required.
- The role involves script-based programming and liaising with artists, animators and programmers
- You will have excellent communication, technical & problem solving skills.
- Must thrive in a team based working environment
- Must be accurate and effective in working to deadlines.
Please support the application with examples of your work.
Network Programmer
Rockstar North is currently seeking an experienced Network programmer. Commercial games experience is essential with at least three years and one published title on PS3 or Xbox 360 to demonstrate your skills. We are looking for a talented engineer to help us in developing advanced networking solutions for large scale games. You should have a positive attitude, a passion for games and be able to communicate with people as effectively as you do a computer.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, maintain and extend current Network systems on Xbox 360 and PS3.
- Design and implement low bandwidth game synchronisation systems
Requirements:
- Strong C/C++ programming skills
- Strong OO design skills
- At least 3 years commercial games programming experience with an emphasis on Network programming on at least 1 published title on PS3 or Xbox 360.
- Good communication skills
- Self-Motivated
- Passion for playing and making games
Desired:
- Experience working with low-level network libraries
- Experience with Xbox and Sony platform SDKs for networking
- Experience synchronising large open-world environments within limited bandwidth constraints
Systems Engineer
Rockstar North is looking for an enthusiastic, talented, and personable Systems Engineer to join our Edinburgh based IT group. Applicants will be highly motivated and organized, able to work as part of a team, whilst also possessing the ability to work without supervision.
Please note: This will be a two stage interview. There will be a technical questionnaire sent as a first stage prior to a decision whether or not to proceed to interview at Rockstar North’s offices.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Manage and administer 40+ various Windows and Linux servers.
- Implementation, management and support of a VMware environment.
- Manage and administer Microsoft products such as: Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Operations Manager, Microsoft SharePoint Server, Microsoft Live Communications Server, Microsoft SQL Server, as well as other server systems.
- Manage and administer Storage Systems such as Netapp, Rorke.
- Management of Cisco networking products including Catalyst and ASA series hardware.
- Management of VPN and Wanscaler equipment.
- Network monitoring and troubleshooting.
- Working with TCP/IP based networking products.
- Provide timely and creative solutions to difficult problems.
- Work with various hardware and software inventories.
QUALIFICATIONS (Required):
- Possess a thorough and detailed understanding of the Windows operating system.
- Possess a thorough and detailed understanding of the Linux , Apache, MySQL, PHP.
- 7+ years experience with Active Directory & Microsoft Exchange including related technologies and standards like: DHCP, DNS, DFS, LDAP, IPSEC, CIFS, SMB, etc.
- Possess a thorough understanding of principles of TCP/IP based networks.
- Possess excellent Cisco IOS skills.
- Experience with Data ONTAP.
- Experience with the Microsoft family of products in a distributed production environment.
- Ability to create and maintain technical documentation from the beginning of a project through completion.
- Ability to sometimes work flexible hours, occasionally rotating shifts, or out of hours as necessary.
- Experience with taking projects from planning through completion.
- Dedication, teamwork and professionalism.
- The ability to handle high pressure situations.
- Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field, MCSE certification, CCNP, or equivalent experience.
QUALIFICATIONS (Desired):
- Knowledge of or experience with game development systems is advantageous.
- Perforce experience.
- Python Scripting experience.
- Adobe Flash Media Server.
UI Graphic Designer
Rockstar North are seeking a cutting edge UI Graphic Designer who is well versed in Graphic Design and User Interfaces who also brings with them a passion for games.The ideal candidate is an experienced self starter who can communicate well with UI developers to create cutting edge UI designs for games and interactive media.
Responsibilities:
- User Interface and Heads Up Display design.
- Taking briefs, progressing designs from concepts to completion and carrying out Implementation to in-game assets.
Requirements:
- Strong portfolio showcasing commercial experience across UI, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Web Design, etc.
- Keen eye for cutting edge imagery, layout, typography and solid understanding of visual communication.
- Must be proficient in a diverse set of software including Photoshop, After Effects, Flash, Illustrator, etc.
- Experienced user interface design is a necessity.
Desirable:
- Shipped-title experience.
- Understanding of the full UI pipeline into a game engine.
Applicants should provide links to relevant work samples and past projects.
Web Designer
Rockstar North are seeking an experienced and talented Web Designer who is well versed in Graphic Design to join our Rockstar Games Social Club team.
The ideal candidate will have very strong design skills, great attention to detail and possess excellent team-working and communication skills.
Responsibilities:
- Taking briefs, progressing designs from concepts to completion including final CSS/HTML design build.
Requirements:
- Strong portfolio showcasing commercial experience across Graphic Design, Web Design, Interactive Design, etc.
- Keen eye for cutting edge imagery, layout, typography and solid understanding of visual communication.
- Must be proficient in a diverse set of software including Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, etc.
- Experience with Social Networking implementation.
- Experienced user interface design is a necessity.
- Strong CSS/HTML.
Desirable:
- Working knowledge of JavaScript & jQuery.
- Applicants should provide links to relevant work samples and past projects.
Web Developer
Rockstar North are seeking an experienced and talented Web Developer to join our Rockstar Games Social Club team. The role is primarily front-end focused but back-end knowledge and experience is required. The successful applicant will have very strong front-end skills, great attention to detail and possess excellent team-working and communication skills.
Required
- Extensive experience developing web apps with Javascript & jQuery
- Very strong CSS and HTML skills
- C# experience
- Excellent communication & team working skills
- Ability to work in a pressurised environment and to meet agreed deadlines
Desired
- ASP.NET MVC experience
- Experience with facebook connect & facebook apps
- SEO experience
Applicants should provide links to relevant work samples and past projects.