At Hipster Whale, we're passionate about creating bright and funny arcade action games that appeal to broad audiences—games that players will continue to enjoy for years to come!
We’re looking for an experienced Senior Gameplay Engineer to help craft unforgettable player experiences on our hugely successful mobile title, Crossy Road. In this role, you’ll work with a highly skilled team to develop innovative gameplay systems and bring ideas to life on a game that has captured the hearts of millions.
This is a full-time on-going position based at our studio in Melbourne, Australia. We may consider a remote role for a highly qualified applicant, however, it's imperative that there is significant overlap with our core business hours. Candidates must have a suitable visa allowing them to work in Australia. Our team currently works hybridly, with a minimum of two days per week in the office (Mondays and Thursdays) and the option to work remotely from home on other days. We support individual flexibility arrangements and will accommodate requests wherever possible.
We’re proud to have an inclusive work environment and encourage members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply!
Responsibilities
- Creatively develop solutions to help make our games as fun and rewarding for our players as possible
- Primarily use C# and Unity to support the team with refining and debugging our games
- Prototype and iterate upon new game features and mechanics
- Work with our artists and level designers to rapidly iterate on new gameplay mechanics
- Integrate mobile SDKs (ads, IAP, analytics)
- Add platform specific functionality, while managing performance and compliance requirements
- Optimise the game for target devices
About You
- You’re an experienced cross-platform games programmer, having worked on several published titles.
- You have practical experience with mobile game development and understand the journey from concept to polished release.
- You enjoy the process of diving into an established codebase, learning its structure, and finding ways to improve and expand it.
- You’re adaptable and capable of setting goals independently, while also collaborating effectively within a team.
- You’re passionate about arcade, casual, and mobile games, and have a focus on crafting responsive and engaging gameplay experiences.
Requirements
- 5+ years professional experience, ideally working with Unity and C#, or willingness to adapt to from C++
- Computer science degree, games programming degree, or demonstrably equivalent skills
- Have worked on shipped mobile, console or PC games
- Strong linear algebra and 3D maths skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Legally able to work in Australia
Bonus Points
- Lifecycle experience publishing and optimising titles for various platforms
- Network programming experience
- Any physics experience (forces, angular velocity, friction, etc.)
- Ability to teach and share your knowledge with technical and non-technical people alike
- Demonstrable skills or interest in game design, art, UX or other cross-disciplines
- Familiarity with agile development (Jira, Kanban, sprints, etc.)
- We’re also keen to hear about any other interests that you may have which could contribute positively to our studio!
Critical Info
- Base salary is 120K+ AUD (excluding super) depending on experience and skills
- This is a full-time, on-going position, based in Melbourne, Australia
- Applications close Sunday, 12 January 2025
- We aim to move through the recruitment process as quickly as possible and will respond to all applicants regardless of the outcome.
- Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we’re unfortunately not able to provide specific feedback to each applicant.
How to Apply
- Please share a cover letter explaining your interest in the role and why you would like to join the Hipster Whale team
- Please provide a CV detailing your experience
- Examples of your technical work (demos or code samples) are always fantastic to see
- Note that we use the Employment Hero / Swag platform to assist with our recruitment process. We don't expect you to autofill the application using the AI tools, nor populate a Swag profile on the platform, simply submit a personally written cover letter and CV document.
If you experience technical difficulties, you are welcome to send through an application via jobs@hipsterwhale.com instead. Please add [POSITION TITLE - YOUR NAME] in the email subject line and include answers to the following questions in your application:
- Do you have 5 or more years of professional experience, having worked on shipped titles?
- Are you located in Melbourne or willing to relocate if successful?
- Can you provide links to your work and illustrate which parts you worked on (or didn’t)?
Join the incredibly talented team that brought chart toppers Crossy Road and Crossy Road Castle to life!
Our mission is to make the best, bright and funny arcade action games with broad appeal. Games that players will continue to enjoy for years to come and will keep fond memories of forever.
Working at our studio, you will have a meaningful impact on our titles and the autonomy to apply your own creative spin across a variety of challenges.
If you would like to work on work with us and grow your games career, we would love to hear from you!
How We Work
- Creative Environment. That doesn’t mean we all wear whacky shirts - it means we all understand that the creative process is not straightforward and can be full of both glitter and doom moments.
- Autonomy and Trust. Our team is given independence to meet objectives and goals, it is essential that we trust each other and know when to ask for help.
- Not a Family. As much as we enjoy each other and hopefully make life-long friends from the colleagues we collect, we don’t expect unconditional love or free work.
- Excellence & Customer Focus. We are focused on delivering the best experiences to players, and are critical of our creations so we can deliver the highest quality products.
- Participation & Contribution. Diverse perspectives make for better outcomes. Everyone’s ideas are valid and some healthy debate and discussion is great before locking in a direction.
- Work/life Balance. We expect a lot of your creative brain, but that doesn't mean you should work all the time. We encourage healthy boundaries so you can take the time to enjoy a life outside of work too.
Benefits
- Flexibility. We understand life gets in the way sometimes. We’re adaptable and not here to make things needlessly difficult.
- Competitive Salaries. Our salaries are competitive and inline with respectable industry standards.
- Training & Development. Whether it’s a course, workshop, or mentorship-we will support your desire for levelling up your skills.
- Profit Share. A quarterly bonus scheme for employees to enjoy our collective success.
- Prime Location. Our office is located in the heart of Melbourne overlooking panoramic views of the Yarra River and Flinders St Station.
- Paid Parental Leave. Additional paid leave to help you navigate for one of life's biggest milestones.
- Social Activities. We love to chat over a cup of tea and enjoy various social activities away from our screens. Participation is always optional.
- Travel. Employees will have opportunities to travel to better understand our industry on a global scale and gain valuable new experiences.
Our Recruitment Process
- Shortlist. We review all applications thoroughly and build a shortlist based on an individual's suitability for the advertised role.
- Phone Screen. We will schedule a brief call with you to say “hello!” and gather more information. You can ask us questions too and to help determine if the role is right for you.
- Practical Challenge. At this stage, candidates will be invited to undertake a paid practical challenge which will resemble the type of work you would undertake in the role.
- Interview. You will be invited to meet the wider team in an interview. These meetings are split into parts, a general interview and a more technical one. We try to give applicants as much opportunity to understand the role and the studio along the journey as possible.
- Offer. All candidates will be informed of the outcome. If successful, you will hear from us as soon as possible and we will confirm the offer for you in writing.
We are an equal opportunity employer and always like to receive diverse applicants.
If you can tick most of the requirements for a role but not all, please contact us. We are always interested to see candidates who could grow into an advertised role. Don't let the list of attributes scare you off if you feel a role is really you!
Crossy Road is the 8-bit endless arcade hopper that started it all. Collect custom characters and navigate freeways, railroads, rivers and much more. Join over 200 MILLION players worldwide and experience Hipster Whale's massive viral #1 hit!
Bring your friends and see how far you can get in Crossy Road Castle– an endless spinning tower of arcade fun! Keep climbing as high as you can. Every run is different.
PAC-MAN 256 is the maze that never ends. But the Glitch is coming for you… Challenge your friends with the local co-op multiplayer mode, up to 4 players. Waka waka on PAC-DOTS and stay ahead of the super-villain: The Glitch. Take on a new gang of revived retro-ghosts including Sue, Funky, and Spunky and Outsmart them with over 20 ridiculous power ups: Laser, Tornado, Giant and much more.
