Graduate Gameplay Programmer Generalist

About Halfbrick

We’re Halfbrick, the game dev studio behind smash hits like Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride! Originally from sunny Brisbane, we’re now rocking the remote work scene with team members from all corners of the globe. As one of Australia’s longest-running and most successful game developers, we pride ourselves on making games that people will look back on with nostalgia.

Why you’ll love it

Our vibrant culture and incredible teams are the secret ingredients to our success, and they help us attract and keep top talent! We’ve created an environment that’s collaborative, fun, and brimming with creativity. With a focus on training and professional growth, we ensure our superstar teams stay hungry, humble, and smart. Some other things to get excited about:

• Freedom to work on games you’re interested in.

• 100% company transparency.

• Mental health support program.

• Flexible working hours.

• Fully remote working - we hire globally, and all our opportunities are available worldwide.

• Bonuses.

• Extra leave including Charity and Meditation leave.

• Quarterly social events.

About the opportunity

It’s a little-known fact that many of our Bricks have joined us as graduates as we know the value they bring! We are geared up and excited to welcome a new wave of graduates and we hope that you’re up for the challenge!

As a graduate, you will join the Halfbrick Bootcamp where you will enter into an intense environment and develop your skills through mentorship from our programming and design coaches. You will learn crucial skills that will enable you to better understand our gaming creation cycle and put them to use alongside other hard-working, dedicated, and incredibly talented individuals.

This is a full-time permanent position and the remuneration for this role, while in training, will be AUD $60,000. At Halfbrick, we pay harmonise all our salaries to Australian pay standards, and we are also fully remote and base our hiring decisions on the best-suited candidate – not where you live!

For more info, check out our graduate bootcamp video!

Responsibilities

• Code Development: Write, test, and maintain high-quality code for game features and systems.

• Collaboration: Work closely with designers, artists, and programmers to implement gameplay mechanics and optimize performance.

• Debugging: Identify and fix bugs and performance issues in existing code and game builds.

• Documentation: Create and maintain technical documentation for code and development processes.

• Version Control: Use version control systems to manage code changes and collaborate with the team.

• Learning and Adaptation: Stay updated on industry trends and new technologies to improve skills and contribute effectively.

• Prototyping: Assist in developing prototypes and proof-of-concept projects for new game ideas.

• Feedback Integration: Participate in playtests and integrate feedback to enhance gameplay experiences.

• Cultural Engagement: Contribute to a positive team culture by participating in team-building activities and fostering open communication within the studio.

Skills and experience

• Object-oriented programming (C# and/or C++).

• Linear algebra fundamentals (“Vector Math”).

• Knowledge of a game engine (preferably Unity).

• Good intuition for creating satisfying gameplay mechanics (“Game Feel”).

• Ability to design modular game systems.

• Performance-minded development: knowledge of the main causes of performance issues and how to solve them.

• Good understanding of commonly used assets, their purpose, and impacts on performance.

• Experience in playtesting and gathering user feedback.

• Experience working in teams / on game projects.

• Experience with rapid game prototyping (or game jams).

• You live and breathe games, and you’re passionate about Halfbrick’s games. 

Bonus skills

• Networking code.

• Ability to design levels.

• Core gameplay design (e.g. control systems, player mechanics, game balancing).

• Game economy design.

The successful candidate

Have you ever found yourself burning the midnight oil, engrossed in games? Maybe you’ve got a quirky obsession with fruit… or you just have a passion for games, especially ours, and want to help create something extraordinary! If you’re ready to elevate our team and bring your A-game, we want to hear from you.

At Halfbrick, we have an emphasis on generalists to help us reach our goals - people who are explorers and learners and have diverse knowledge to draw from (or are interested in obtaining more). We understand and appreciate specialized talent but we encourage all of our Bricks to generalize their skills so they can collaborate effectively and see the bigger picture.

Tips for applying

Remember to allow access for us to view your personal project games i.e. videos preferably (builds/links to builds are not desirable) BEFORE applying. If we are unable to view your personal projects, your application will not progress.