WHAT MAKES US KONG STUDIOS?

• Kong Studios is a game development company that was founded in Silicon Valley, USA in 2013. Following the success of Guardian Tales, the company achieved unicorn status with a corporate valuation of approximately $1 billion USD through Series B funding in August 2021. Kong Studios has always strived to reduce the gap between narrative and gameplay and is constantly working to create the best games where the rich narrative becomes a part of gameplay.
• There are many passionate and talented individuals at Kong Studios. We are people who take initiative, approach development and communication with a collaborative attitude, and do not get discouraged by small failures. The desire to create the best without compromise has led Kong Studios' games to a higher level.
  
  

PROJECT OS

• Project OS is a new project being developed by Kong Studios’ US headquarters for the first time since Guardian Tales. It is undergoing pre-production at a workspace in Seoul, Korea.
• The new project is a 3D sandbox game with an emphasis on narrative based on Unreal Engine 5, which will be released on PC and next-generation console platforms. The goal of the project is to go beyond the limits of traditional NPR (Non-Photorealistic Rendering) by implementing graphics similar to Japanese animation in 3D.
• The developers leading the initial development of Project OS include the Director and the Art Director who led the success of Guardian Tales and the Executive Producer who has newly joined Kong Studios. Veteran developers are continuing to join and take part in the initial development.
• Led by Kong Studios’ headquarters located in one of the world's leading IT hubs, Project OS is the perfect opportunity to work with talented developers around the world.
  
  

CURRENT STAGE

• Based on the proven factors through POC, we are thoroughly preparing our production capabilities and establishing production processes by repeating and refining multiple experiments.
• We are validating gameplay and other components through the prototype phase and establishing an iterative development process.
• We have achieved remarkable results through repeated experiments on Animation Look Graphics and production methods, but we are continuing to research and develop various high-level processes since productivity is as important as quality.
• The pre-production phase has begun to create an open-world filled with adventure and genuine enjoyment.
• We are investing heavily in expanding our development infrastructure so that development will feel effortless even when many developers work simultaneously in the main production phase in an open-world development environment.
  
  

What We Do

• We are looking for an Unreal Engine Programmer to develop core technologies within the game engine for Project OS. The main objective of the Unreal Engine Programmer is to ensure that the development team can fully utilize the useful features available on the Unreal Engine. However, since the Unreal Engine is not always in a perfect state, you must improve the engine's inadequate features, implement new technologies, and develop plugins and toolsets to expand its functionality.
• You must review the latest builds of the Unreal Engine released by Epic Games, and educate/deploy to the game development team at appropriate times for them to effortlessly create high-quality games using the latest technologies. You must improve any inadequacies or inefficiencies in production due to flaws in the game engine, and continuously monitor and maintain changes in platforms and ESD, hardware, new APIs, and other news to support various game platforms.
• As graphics engineering becomes more specialized, all games are beginning to put more resources into this field, but development for issues involving inefficient codes in the engine core, external plugins, and extensions are often dependent on outside purchases or neglected until just before release. However, Project OS has a vision of innovating the development process with talented engine programmers and providing an environment for more exciting gameplay to be created through appropriate support.
• This position carries significant influence across the entire production team, including those that make final decisions. Therefore, it is essential to have reasonable and approachable communication skills.
• Apply for the Unreal Engine Programmer position if you love the software engineering technology on its own more than the gameplay, and feel a sense of accomplishment in providing beneficial features to everyone through engine programming.
  
  

💡

All applicants may be promoted to Lead or Principal roles, or assigned to other positions through sufficient mutual agreement based on interview results

What You’ll Do

Roles & Responsibilities

• Continuously review the existing features and future roadmap of the Unreal Engine and deploy engine updates at an appropriate integration cycle after observing the production process.
• Track and solve problems caused by engine updates and their side effects.
• Project OS has a long-term goal of developing an in-game editor, and the Unreal Engine Programmer can lead all core work related to this goal.
• Provide appropriate education and suggest better processes if it is discovered that the project is not fully utilizing the engine's features and relying on temporary solutions.
• Expand and improve the Unreal Engine's open-world features to make them more versatile and easy-to-use.
• Optimize the dedicated server on the Unreal Engine to a serviceable level.
• Provide active support for artists and game designers who may need new toolsets, utilities, and plugins by reviewing and improving existing features and implementing proven systems.
• Actively participate in game engine-related conferences, education, presentations, and other events and communicate with engine development companies to provide a better engine for the project.
• Continuously profile loading times, memory usage, and performance during gameplay and notify related teams of potential issues or resolve them independently.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of game development experience as a game engine programmer, relevant industry experience, or research experience, satisfying at least one of the requirements
• Strong C++ programming skills and multithreaded programming ability
• Deep understanding and experience with TCP/IP and network gameplay
• Ability to understand the complex architecture of the Unreal Engine and improve/expand every aspect of the engine
• Development skills focused on performance, and intuition, estimation, and data-based optimization skills.
• Comprehensive understanding of game development roles and deep understanding of functionalities of the engine used by each role
• Reasonable and approachable communication skills and documentation skills
• Passion for engine development, proactive problem-solving skills, and self-motivation to take on new tasks

Bonus Skills

• Open-world game development experience
• Special talents that can make a difference in the outcome of game development
• Fluency in conversational Japanese
• Degree in computer graphics, relevant academic experience, or research experience
• WHAT MAKES US KONG STUDIOS?
• PROJECT OS
• CURRENT STAGE
• WHAT WE DO
• WHAT YOU’LL DO
• BENEFITS AND PERKS
• REQUIRED DOCUMENTS