Systems Programmer

About us

ForthStar is a unique games company based in Manchester, UK, on a mission to make big free-to-play hits. Established in 2023 by Playdemic Founders, Paul Gouge and Alex Rigby, and a team of exceptionally talented industry veterans, ForthStar's core belief is that the best games are made by highly accomplished teams with freedom for creative innovation.

Our mission is clear: to make great games that millions of people love to play every day for years. We take pride in our commitment to building exceptional, mass-appeal games with highly engaging core mechanics that captivate our players and become essential daily entertainment.

We believe in excellence and creative thinking and have a culture that promotes collaboration, innovation, and the continuous pursuit of better. We support each other to make ForthStar not just a workplace, but an inspirational space for creativity and professional growth. We are driven by our commitment to the service of our players and to each other.

About the role

As a Systems Programmer, you will work on developing core gameplay systems and maintaining and improving our physics to help our core team with rapid iteration of design ideas as well as helping with profiling and optimising gameplay code. As a member of the core team, you will work closely with other client programmers, designers and artists to assist with code design and the creation of development tools.

We are looking for an exceptional individual to join our incredibly talented team, we welcome applications from mid-level to senior programmers who can bring a wealth of industry experience to the table.

Responsibilities

• Work with designers and coders to create development tools to assist with rapid prototyping of mechanics.
• Create and maintain core game systems such as data loading and matchmaking.
• Monitor code performance and optimise existing code solutions.
• Implement new features in Kinematic Physics implementation.
• Create and maintain technical documentation.
  
• Assist in designing code solutions for new mechanics.

Essential skills 

• A minimum of 3 years experience in a similar role within the games industry, preferably on mobile.
  
• Excellent working knowledge of either C/C++/C# or similar languages.
  
• Strong grasp of technical details related to game performance, especially on mobile.
• Strong 3D maths, engineering and problem-solving skills.

Desirable skills 

• Hands-on experience and proficiency with Unity.
  
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical team members.
• Good understanding of physics simulation code.
• Experience working in networked games.
  
• Experience working with data-oriented code.
  
• Passion for games and an understanding of what makes them fun.
  
• Degree with notable coding element.
  
• Familiarity with profiling tools.

Recruitment Process
We are committed to hiring only the most talented individuals to fulfil our mission: to make great games that millions of people love to play every day for years. We conduct a fair and objective screening and interview process for all candidates. Our hiring decisions are based on how well each person's skills, experience and traits align with the job requirements and values of ForthStar. 

Diversity
As an equal opportunities employer, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive team. We believe that our company should reflect the diversity of our audiences and the wider society we engage with.