REMEMBER CITADEL said:

No, where did you get that impression? The rumors were saying it's a sci-fi shooter with horror elements.

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Loch Doun said:

There was also a job listing looking for someone with platforming and puzzle experience.

Hmm... an Uncharted & Dead Space hybrid type of game?

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REMEMBER CITADEL said:

No, where did you get that impression? The rumors were saying it's a sci-fi shooter with horror elements.

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Loch Doun said:

There was also a job listing looking for someone with platforming and puzzle experience.

Hmm... an Uncharted & Dead Space hybrid type of game?

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Well, after 9 great years the time has finally come to move on from Next Level Games. My time there was amazing. I had a blast while working on 7 shipped game projects (plus one that is about to wrap up), 7 demo projects, and countless game design pitches. Over the years I also had the opportunity to heavily contribute to the company branding and identity. I learned a lot, and grew not only as an artist, but as a person as well. While the work and the growth were great, the best thing about Next Level has always been the people. They were the ones that made coming to work everyday so enjoyable and rewarding. I've worked with some of these people since the beginning of the company, and others before that at the original Blackbox Games studio. Several of my good friends from animation school work there, along with my good friend Nigel, who I've been sharing my artistic path with since we were 10 years old. So they will all be missed, and walking out of that studio for the last time on Friday is going to be tough. But it is time for a change.

I'm going to be moving back to Victoria and taking a position as a concept artist at the new Microsoft studio there. I have a couple personal reasons for moving back to Vic. as well, but this is an exciting opportunity. There will be some familiar faces as several ex-Next Level people are working there, along with a few I know from the Blackbox days.

As there will be a lot going on in the next few months, moving and getting settled, things here will be slow, but hopefully I'll find time to work on, and post some new stuff.

As for Next Level I wish them the best of luck. Not that they need it, I'm confident anything they do in the future is going to be great. Cheers guys, and thanks for all the good times!

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TheOddOne said:

This is artist working over at MS Victoria.

He has a pretty unique art style.

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TheOddOne said:

This is artist working over at MS Victoria.

He has a pretty unique art style.

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derFeef said:

Can we get TheOddOne a tag? Like .. Detective Awesome or something?

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derFeef said:

Can we get TheOddOne a tag? Like .. Detective Awesome or something?

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Marleyman said:

Sony will launch w/ a new Killzone? It would be cool to see Microsoft launch w/ a fresh, new IP.

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Linkified said:

So do we know what/if anything is at works at MS Victoria, also how long have MS Victoria been around...

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Victoria has all the ingredients needed to continue growing as a high-tech community at a time when analysts predict the number of smart-connected devices will climb by the billions in coming years, the president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business told a business audience on Wednesday.

"It feels to me that all the ingredients are here for this community to go through the same type of growth that I would say that Vancouver went through in the past 30 years. That's very exciting," Don Mattrick told 135 members of the Downtown Victoria Business Association at its annual meeting.

Software giant Microsoft has moved into the sixth floor of the leased Dogwood Building at 1019 Wharf St. downtown where more than 30 staffers work in its new game design studio. The studio had been temporarily set up in Bastion Square since January.

Mattrick, a Vancouver native who lives part-time in Victoria, is responsible for developing "key entertainment experiences that span gaming, music and video across multiple screens," Microsoft's website states. Mattrick's team leads development and marketing of such wellknown devices as Xbox 360, the controller-free Kinect, and Xbox LIVE.

There are 2.4 billion smart-connected devices in the world today, such as personal computers, smartphones and tablets, Mattrick said.

"In the next five years, analysts are estimating that number will grow to 4.6 billion," said Mattrick. "It will change how we do everything in our daily life - commerce, entertainment, connectivity with our friends and the world around us."

Microsoft offices in Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv have common denominators such as a great university and arts pipeline, he said.

Creative people "pay attention to their environment, pay attention to the quality of life that they live and they get together," he said. "A few people can grow a few companies. A few companies can grow great linkages with different institutions and people start realizing that they can go through whatever area of passion that they are involved with and stay in their local community."

The cities each have effective transportation links and diverse cultures that support the needs of technology workers and their families, said Mattrick.

While Microsoft moved into the top floor of the Victoria building, construction continues on lower levels.

Mattrick is anticipating future growth. "We love the charm and energy of the downtown community," he said.

He showed images of the Dogwood's interior where comfortable working arrangements are set out for staff. "Tech companies tend to centre everything about people - that's the asset that we are bringing together, teams of people who have expertise in multiple areas all working together to innovate, incubate and create something new."

Chris Robertson, technical director of the Victoria office, said: "We will be continuing our growth plans in the fall. We have space for 40 to 50 people on each floor." The company will use the top two floors for the first year or two and will sublease other space.

Ultimately, Microsoft could have about 150 staff in Victoria, he said.

"I've been amazed at the turnout [for work] that we have had. The quality of applicants and the volume of applicants is fantastic.

People love Victoria. About one-third to one-half of our staff are coming from the Island." The rest are coming from elswhere in the world. "It amazed me about how easy it was to pique peoples' interest about coming here," said Robertson.

Details of games projects are confidential. Robertson said the local office is contributing to a larger Microsoft program being developed in Redmond, Wash. "We are sort of the first outpost outside of the research and the incubation teams to start developing experiences for the future of entertainment interaction."

Mattrick said: "Everyone in our industry wants a chance to work on something that can be No. 1. That's what our teams are aspiring to create. Things that redefine entertainment, that will hopefully be the most popular, sell the most number of units, and really round out their personal creativity as they participate in the team."

On Victoria, he said: "We are finding as we get more time and linkage with the community just how great the new-to-industry youth pipeline is. There's lots of really passionate, talented people that we've been meeting. We are going to be hiring more of them so it's a lot of fun to be here."

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derFeef said:

Sounds like 3rd person action game to me.

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derFeef said:

Can we get TheOddOne a tag? Like .. Detective Awesome or something?

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REMEMBER CITADEL said:

I think he deserves one, after being a Junior for so long.

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enzo_gt said:

Cosign. Sons been putting in work for years.

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TheOddOne said:

They opened up in early 2012. Nothing concrete is known on what they are doing.

Team is very small so far:

I would say they are an "incubation" team who are still searching for a project.

*Good Stuff*

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TheOddOne said:

With that much tech muscle being hired, yes that could be a possiblity but I don't think we will hear about it for a while.




You guys flatter me too much

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Microsoft Studios is looking for a Lead Producer to work on the publishing-side of core AAA games made by our top-tier external development partners like Epic.

You will work with an experienced cross-discipline leads team at Studios and with world-class game companies to create innovative and successful interactive entertainment experiences. Executing on a game’s vision takes many traits, including teamwork, leadership and a dedication to excellence. Creating games is fun at its core, but full of challenges different from creating productivity software.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
As a Lead Producer in the Studios Publishing organization, you will work directly with an Executive Producer to lead the efforts on a core AAA title.

This role has a wide range of responsibilities:
Build a strong working relationship with the game development team and help them with any obstacles to ensure that the game is “fun” and on time. When working with our premier development partners, it is critical to have a thorough understanding and love for the genre of games in the genre they are working on. The goal is to deliver the best games ever produced in this genre.
Lead a large cross-functional virtual team, including groups as diverse as: Programming, Art, Game Design, Audio, Test, Marketing, Content Publishing, User Research, Localization, Business Development, Finance, Legal, web site development teams, and more. Managing game Producer and Associate Producers
Drive communication between Microsoft Studios and development partner, and across the rest of the Xbox organization. Provide regular status to the various Studios teams, including conducting internal reviews with leads and Studios Management.
Identify problems in advance and drive creative solutions to fix them. A Lead Producer needs to be able to see challenges before they arise, create plans to manage the tasks and alleviate the risks, and pitch in to execute those plans as needed.
Work with the external partner and the teams in Microsoft Studios to manage the game schedule and milestones.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:
Deep Experience Shipping Games. You must have experience shipping AAA current generation games through multiple product cycles. Experience with Action/Combat and Action/Adventure genres a plus.
Strong Cross-Team Communication Skills. You can talk to creatives (e.g. artists and game designers), technical people (e.g. programmers), and non-technical people (e.g. PR and Marketing) alike. When conflicts occur, you bring people together, you listen, you mitigate, and you resolve.
Passion for and Knowledge of Games. Beyond loving video games, understanding what makes a great video game is key.
Deals with Ambiguity. There is no instruction manual on how to be a great producer. You use your instincts, experiences, and team to identify, assess, and solve problems quickly and often.
Exceptional Organization Skills. You are detailed and organized. You never let anything fall through the cracks. You are clear, concise, and specific. When you participate in a meeting, you clarify, capture and follow up on all action items.
Travel. Since most of our partners are not located in the Redmond area, you can expect to make four or more trips a year. Additional domestic travel, and possibly international travel, is also required.
Working knowledge of Japanese language is a plus.

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Microsoft Studios is looking for a Producer to work on the publishing-side of Gears of War and other core AAA games made by our top-tier external development partners.

You will work closely with a Senior Producer and an experienced cross-discipline leads team at Microsoft Studios and with world-class game companies to create innovative and successful interactive entertainment experiences. Executing on a game’s vision takes many traits, including teamwork, leadership and a dedication to excellence.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
On a day-to-day basis, as a Producer you will work with a Senior Producer and Executive Producer on a large variety of tasks related to game development and the Gears of War franchise. These tasks include:

Build a strong working relationship with the game development team and help them with any obstacles to ensure that the game is “fun” and on time. When working with our premier development partners, it is also critical to have a thorough understanding and love for the genre of games in the genre they are working on. The goal is to deliver the best games ever produced in this genre.
Actively participate in a large cross-functional “virtual” team, including groups as diverse as: Programming, Art, Game Design, Audio, Test, Marketing, Content Publishing, User Research, Localization, Business Development, Finance, Legal, GeoPolitical, web site development teams, and more.
Identify problems in advance and drive creative solutions to fix them. A Producer needs to be able to see challenges before they arise, create plans to manage the tasks and alleviate the risks, and pitch in to execute those plans as needed.
Drive communication between the teams in Microsoft Studios and our development partner. Provide regular status to the various MGS teams, including conducting internal reviews with leads and MGS Management.
Act as a jack-of-all-trades, jumping in to help out where needed.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:
Passion for and Knowledge of Games. Beyond loving video games, understanding what makes a great video game is key.
Strong Cross-Team Communication Skills. You can talk to creatives (e.g. artists and game designers), technical people (e.g. programmers), and non-technical people (e.g. PR and Marketing) alike. When conflicts occur, you bring people together, you listen, you mitigate, and you resolve.
Exceptional Organization Skills. You are detailed and organized. You never let anything fall through the cracks. You are clear, concise, and specific. When you participate in a meeting, you clarify, capture and follow up on all action items.
Quality Focus. You can demonstrate your skills on how to create games that have a strong emphasis on high quality.
Experience Shipping Games. You must have experience shipping games through multiple product cycles.
Decision Making. You use your intellectual horsepower to break problems down into discrete elements and solutions, and can demonstrate how those solutions positively impact the entire product.
Self-Motivated. Reporting status is not enough. We are looking for future leaders who can take guidance and run with it, creating positive impact on the product.
Travel. Since most of our partners are not located in the Redmond area, you can expect to make four or more trips a year. Additional domestic travel, and possibly international travel, is also required.

DESIRED SKILLS AND PLUSES:
Bachelor’s degree
Experience working with external developers
Technical understanding of current game development technologies, tools, and processes.
Knowledge of game industry production tools, including MS Project and Excel.

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TheOddOne said:

Wait, are they working with Epic on another project?

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Doffen said:

This pretty much confirms that Xbox won't loose Gears as an exclusive next gen.
But it's also worded in a fashion that they will not only work on Gears of War, that very interesting.

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Linkified said:

So after what happened with Big Huge Games/Impossible I hope the quality is there and they have some good designers ... the way the first job sounds it almost sounds like Samaritan...

Didn't Epic show off a Locust to demo the UE3 engine?

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Feindflug said:

This will be interesting indeed...if Killzone 4 is the big PS4 launch title and Durango has Alan Wake 2 at launch it will be funny to see the "FPS & Shooterz only!!!" MS to make a console launch with an action/adventure game instead.

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Linkified said:

So after what happened with Big Huge Games/Impossible I hope the quality is there and they have some good designers ... the way the first job sounds it almost sounds like Samaritan...

Didn't Epic show off a Locust to demo the UE3 engine?

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AgentP said:

Isn't Alan Wake a TPS? You walk around and shoot stuff after shining a flash light on it when I played it.

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Linkified said:

So after what happened with Big Huge Games/Impossible I hope the quality is there and they have some good designers ... the way the first job sounds it almost sounds like Samaritan...

Didn't Epic show off a Locust to demo the UE3 engine?

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Biggzy said:

I would be quite surprised if Epic tie another one of their franchises to Microsoft.

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The Crusty Juggler said:

It's been profitable for both parties. The games Epic have released in the Pllaystation have struggled as well, UT 3, Bulletstorm.

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Biggzy said:

That is true but you are always limiting your potential market by releasing on one platform.

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The Crusty Juggler said:

It's been profitable for both parties. The games Epic have released in the Pllaystation have struggled as well, UT 3, Bulletstorm.

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Globox_82 said:

while selling millions on 360...

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steverulez said:

UT3 was late on 360 and didn't Bulletstorm sell the vast majority on 360 (compared to PS3/PC?) prepared to be wrong on that though.

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Biggzy said:

That is true but you are always limiting your potential market by releasing on one platform. If Epic's next IP is a Xbox exclusive, then like I said Microsoft are using that $300 million well.

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TheOddOne said:

And Rare hiring gets more bizarre!

Another Codie:

FPS/Action guy?:

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Linkified said:

So do we get a reboot of the Perfect Dark franchise ... I'm hoping these hires mean nothing which is not just Racing game cos at the moment the potential from MS Studios is that we end up with Horizons(Playground?)/Forza/PGR(Lucid?)/Futuristic(Lucid?) racing games from next gen - seems a little overkill especially if Rare are developing a separate racing game...

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TheOddOne said:

And Rare hiring gets more bizarre!

Another Codie:

FPS/Action guy?:

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Karak said:

Last I heard was that Rare wasn't just the racer that is rumoured. So this seems to back that up.

I guess regardless of the weirdness its showing that MS is throwing even more into the already large number of devs they have going.

I am more interested, now, in Lionhead. After reading up on the virtual texturing thing and wondering a couple weeks ago if thats what they may push, at least a bit for the Durango. That has me excited.

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REMEMBER CITADEL said:

Epic will always have multiplatform IPs, but if Microsoft wants to work on another exclusive franchise, then the likelihood is that they'll get it. Epic probably gets to keep the IP so they can pull out if it doesn't work out for them (or negotiate better deals for the possible sequels) while getting the benefits of launching the franchise as an exclusive: it's going to get more exposure among the early adopters of the platform that way, and by concentrating on a single platform, they can focus on making it a real showcase for their engine. Also bear in mind that Microsoft pushes UE pretty aggressively, even among its internal studios, and Epic stands to benefit from such support much more than they would from another multiplatform IP.

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TheOddOne said:

And Rare hiring gets more bizarre!

Another Codie:

FPS/Action guy?:

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Biggzy said:

Yeah they didn't develop that tech to not ever use it.

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Karak said:

I am more interested, now, in Lionhead. After reading up on the virtual texturing thing and wondering a couple weeks ago if thats what they may push, at least a bit for the Durango. That has me excited.

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We are looking for an experienced and hands-on designer to bolster our level design team on a cutting edge, genre-defining new title.
The Senior Level Designer is responsible for both personally creating levels and helping supervise the implementation of the game’s world and its gameplay spaces.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
• Design experience with 3 or more AAA credited titles, at least one of which is in a lead position.
• Experience in organizing and inspiring others.
• Take and understand direction well, meet deadlines and handle multiple tasks.
• Demonstrable experience making fun, visually impressive 3d levels with the highest level of attention to detail.
• Ability to interpret player and peer feedback and turn it into in-game solutions.
• Experience scripting gameplay using visual and text scripting languages.
• Unreal Engine experience and familiarity with multiplayer development are pluses.
• Passion for console games, ideally within the RPG, Action Adventure genres

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•Previous experience delivering online services for at least one released AAA game title, or large scale software system
• Programming experience in modern C++
• Previous experience using Xbox LIVE APIs
• Knowledge of common web programming languages, such as Javascript and Python
• Cloud platform experience (such as Azure, Amazon EC2, etc)
• Low-level network experience (protocols, packet optimisation, NAT traversal, etc)
• Previous experience working with highly distributed and concurrent systems
• Passion for playing Online/Multiplayer/MMO games

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Role Purpose
This role is for a designer with a focus on live services and monetization in the connected online world. The candidate will work with the design team, analytics group, and marketing to design, analyse, improve, and tune monetization features within our upcoming online game.

Key Accountabilities:
Design, implement and balance gameplay features that support the service model and its monetization from initial design to final polish
Develop and manage the economy/monetization components of our online game
Work closely with design team to develop a framework for a successful live game
Iterate, balance and tune reward systems based on feedback from team, QA and play testing during production and into live service
Coordinate pricing of virtual goods and balance free vs. paid currency in the game economy or segments of market to be tested
Review reporting on in-game currency usage, earning and purchasing
Drive new initiatives for monetizing the customer base
Work with a team of analysts to propose new features and define, collect and analyse metrics
Work closely with Game Director and product owners towards the game vision

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Proven experience as a designer with a focus on systems, monetization, analytics, or similar role
In-depth knowledge of games on multiple platforms and micro-transaction based business models
Excellent analytical and problem solving skills; ability to judge details vs. the big picture
Knowledge and understanding of game design fundamentals
Understanding of game development cycle in production and live environments
Ability to deliver under deadlines and time constraints
Strong mathematical and analytical skills

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TheOddOne said:

Well Superannuation did dig up that they were working on a new MMO IP. Their recent job listing seems to reflect that.

Senior Level Designer

Online Services Engineer

Services/Monetization Designer


Hyperbole aside, "genre-defining new title" could also mean new Fable.

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JaggedSac said:

I'd be down for a Fable MMO, but a new IP would be preferable to me.

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Can Crusher said:

Unreal? What the "#$%, what about that whole fancy tech?

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