Principal Console Programmer

Frontier is an independent video game developer and publisher, crafting immersive gaming experiences with fun gameplay and unparalleled artistic quality. Renowned for its iconic creative management simulation games, Frontier captivates players worldwide with immersive and authentic game worlds. The modern studio is located in the vibrant technology hub of Cambridge (UK). The talented team at Frontier are dedicated to nurturing our existing portfolio and delivering our exciting future roadmap.

This role is offered on a full in-studio basis or a hybrid basis (minimum 3 days per week in the studio). We can provide a comprehensive relocation support package as part of any offer, should you need to relocate.

WHAT’S THE ROLE

We are looking for a Principal Console Programmer to join our game development team and to play a key role in delivering a great experience for console players. Joining an established development team, you will bring experience and energy to developing our games for console platforms. You will program primarily in C++ working with our in-house Cobra engine and cross-platform game code.

As a Principal Console Programmer for the development team, you will have a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the current generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles. You will be utilising your profiling and memory management knowledge to drive efforts to ensure our games run smoothly on consoles. You will leverage your knowledge of certification requirements to ensure our games have a smooth launch. You will also architect compelling and useful console specific features in our games.

You will be collaborating with a talented team of programmers working on the cross-platform game experience and Cobra engine, along with specialists in audio, user interface, and online services. You will also collaborate with game designers and QA testers on tuning the player experience for console players.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Be the main point-of-contact for console development questions and queries from stakeholders.
• Architect and develop platform-specific functionality.
• Leading profiling efforts for all aspects of the game; CPU, GPU, memory, IO. Using this information to direct departments to make optimisations.
• Ensuring compliance with platform requirements (TRCs/XRs).
• Reporting directly to the Technical Lead and Engineering Manager and collaborating with them to identify new tasks for the team.
• Coordinating with Cobra developers on preferred approaches to console support
• Mentorship of other game programmers in console development.
• Triaging emerging issues encountered in console versions of the game.
• Working with the Continuous Integration & Distribution team to identify better processes and tests for consoles.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• The expertise to push the boundaries of console hardware and services and deliver an exemplary console experience.
• A track record of releasing console versions for multiple AA/AAA games.
• Expert modern C++ programming skills and the ability to work within a large codebase
• Strong experience in profiling CPU performance and memory usage.
• Detailed knowledge of Xbox or PlayStation platform APIs.
• Openness to share experiences and learning from and with colleagues.

BONUS IF YOU HAVE

• Experience in profiling GPU performance.
• Expertise working with low-level graphics APIs.
• Knowledge of cross-platform technicalities and certification requirements.
• Experienced in shipping games using in-house game engines or multiple commercial game engines.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

You will work with talented and passionate people to support, develop or publish our sophisticated and enduring games, in a creative, collaborative and inclusive environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our players.

Wellbeing is a big focus at Frontier, and we are continually evolving how we can support our people. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and provide a range of wellbeing activities, initiatives and sessions to support both mental and physical health.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success-based annual bonus, share option schemes, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, in-house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme, free bike servicing, and social activities and events.

We strive to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their capability and potential. If you therefore need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition representative.

For queries, please email: recruitment@frontier.co.uk