Senior Game Developer (Unreal Engine Gameplay Programmer) /  Lead Pipeline

The project 

We are looking for skilled developers to work with us on a short-term basis to develop and release a mobile game app called Bound to the Miraculous: Ocean Health Edition. At the core of the game is a simulated journey that uses live, open-source oceanic and weather data to continuously sail a small virtual sailboat in real time across a simulated Atlantic ocean. A prompt game will be built on top of this simulation, with the narrative and gameplay adapting to the changing circumstances of the protagonist boat. Players can follow the boat live and explore various oceanographic and meteorological data points related to its location. 

You will work on turning an existing draft prototype (functional real-time simulation of a protagonist boat crossing the Atlantic Ocean, created using Unreal Engine) into a mobile game product and releasing it in App stores. The app will be available on both iOS and Android. 

The Team

Foundation Landfall is a network of collaborators that conduct artistic research, production and knowledge sharing across the visual arts and beyond — with an aim at fostering and advancing art and culture. Our mission is to envision and develop innovative, challenging projects and technologies that excite, inspire, and unite professionals across the arts, sciences, and technology. By promoting cutting-edge approaches to broader audiences, we aim to foster collaboration and creativity. We actively invite inventive minds from diverse fields to collaborate on bold new ideas. The Foundation Landfall serves as an interdisciplinary hub—a melting pot of skills and ideas that inspire and advance one another, where creativity and expertise come together to push the boundaries of what is known.

Role Summary

Technical producer focusing on creating the core gameplay mechanics, including prompt-based gameplay integrated with real-time data from the simulation system and responsible for launching the game.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical production: Asset management overseeing and asset integration. 

• Developing and overseeing the pipeline.

• Journey simulation: Update existing system for tracking the movement of a boat in an ocean simulation based on data input. 

• Render pipeline: Update existing lighting/shading system.

• Animation: Update existing boat and ocean animation system.

• Sound triggers: Update existing sound effect model.  

• Gameplay Development: Develop prompt-based mechanics for gameplay using Unreal Engine (and Blueprints or C++). Gameplay responds to real-time updates based on the unreal simulation of external data.

• Mobile Optimization: Optimize the game for mobile devices, ensuring smooth performance on both iOS and Android.

• Server hosting: Finding a solution for streaming the boat view. Cloud-based solution for streaming. Docker system for service hosting. Load balancer for client connection distribution and scaling

• Compliance: Overseeing game development compliance with launching on app stores. 

Key Skills: 

• C++, Python

• Unreal Engine 5+

Experience: 

• Technical production

• Successful launches in the App Stores.

• Real-time data integration in games.

• AI/NLP-driven gameplay.

• Optimizing games for mobile platforms.

• 6+ years experience

Personal qualities 

• Fluent in spoken and written English

• Team spirit

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; comfortable with translating technical situations to non-technical audiences

• Open minded

• Creative

• Attentive to detail

• Pro-active and independent

• Strong focus on result

• Strong planning and organizational skills

• Realistic

Work conditions: 

• Full time, project based:  40 hours a week

• Office based: Kolderveen, The Netherlands 

• Start Work: February 2025

• End Work: June 2025

• Working language is English

Offer: 

• Job that contributes to climate awareness

• Office in the countryside.

• Inspiring project, related to climate change awareness.

• Small artistic team.

• Friendly working environment with respect to fair working conditions.

• Workstation for your job’s needs. 

• Travel costs and accommodation for the project duration in Meppel, the Netherlands (if coming from abroad).

• Travel costs (2nd class public transport travel or car petrol reimbursement from home to office for Dutch-based candidates).

Remuneration: 

• On a freelance basis. 

• Paid per milestone. 

• Depending on experience 5,000 to 7,000 euro per month bruto. 

Contact: 

• Email your cv and motivation to info@landfall.space 

• Apply before Sunday February 16, 2025 

• More information about the project can be found at https://boundtothemiraculous.net/