Developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft has announced that it is opening up a North American subsidiary to handle its global publishing and localization strategy. 

Specifically, the Long Beach-based Spike Chunsoft, Inc. will act as a global publisher for all of Spike Chinsoft’s own releases in addition to handling projects developed by the Japanese company Mages Inc.

In a press release, the company notes that the decision to open the new office was driven, in part, by the rising popularity of Japanese games worldwide and those games’ subsequent elevation beyond the status of just niche titles.

“Even as information is more easily shared, the world still holds a wealth of undiscovered entertainment. As Spike Chunsoft, it is our goal to cultivate this potential into something new and memorable that transcends time, genre, and nationality,” said Spike Chunsoft CEO Mitsutoshi Sakurai in a statement. 

“Until now, our titles were produced in Japan and distributed worldwide by our business partners. But given how the instantaneous speed of information has become the norm, we believe that communicating with our overseas audience directly is a new avenue for us to create joy.”
 

The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location:  Seattle, Washington​

Our team at Stoic, 4-time BAFTA nominated indie video game company, is seeking a Game Engine Programmer for development of Banner Saga and our next projects to join us in bustling downtown Seattle.

As Game Tools Programmer, you will support and facilitate art and design by improving their tools. The Banner Saga is built on a custom set of content tools that will be maintained, expanded, and improved for some time. You will also be essential to crafting new tools for Stoic’s next generation of games.

You will use your ability to understand the design of the game and extrapolate that into a vision of the most effective methods for our creative team to implement their ideas. Together we will discover areas for improvement and iterate on the tools to make them better and better. We encourage the use of validated UX methodologies to establish what our best possible outcome can be, and work toward the goal of maintaining a high quality standard.

You will collaborate with a diverse range of programmers, artists, designers, and writers and use your interpersonal skills to help everyone function at their highest potential by providing excellent tools. Together we will continually look for training opportunities to ensure that the tools are being used to the best effect.

We have built our success on aspiring to the highest quality possible, using our skills and attention to detail to their best effect. Will your unique perspectives and skills help our studio reach the next level of success?

Role and Responsibilities

You will participate in the game design process from inception to completion, providing feedback and input, and establishing a deep personal understanding and investment in the games. You will approach the tools design by imagining the best possible UX and work with project managers to estimate and prioritize the work required.

You will accomplish deep learning of our existing tools, both through personal use, discussion with content developers, and direct observation of content developer workflow. Your knowledge in this area will allow you to make high value improvements to the existing tools and keep production flowing smoothly.

Your understanding of these game systems and tools will enable you to address existing problems and shortcomings, and to build new features as necessary. Together we will craft automation for asset pipelines, content creation, and tool delivery.

• Key Points
  
  • Collaborate with all facets of development team
  • Train and mentor content developers in the best use of the tools
  • Use technology and UX to provide satisfying workflows
  • Demonstrate dedication to high quality standards

Qualifications

You have worked on a variety of different tools and user interface projects, video game related or otherwise, and you have participated on multiple video game projects specifically. You take personal pride in your passion for user experience optimization, and are continually learning and growing in your field.

You are capable in several programming languages, technologies, techniques, and environments. You have an empathetic and scientific approach to understanding how people use your tools, and how they want to get their work done, both user-focused and motivated by data. You use well-established methods to handle technological challenges, such as source control, continuous integration, unit testing, and automation.

Your approach to supporting content developers is generous and enthusiastic in your desire to facilitate their work and vision. We value the effort that goes into using technology to streamline the creative workflow, do you?

• Key Points
  
  • College degree in the Sciences or Engineering
  • Experience with game tools programming
  • Competency in a broad range of software technologies
  • Scientific and empathetic approach toward UX design
  • Loves working with creative people
  • Detail oriented and quality driven
  • Passionate about learning

We want to enhance our team with a Tools Programmer who shares our vision and can be a catalyst for growth and improvement. Do you want to be this person?

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

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December’s Xbox Game Pass Update Brings Gears of War 4, Darksiders, Mass Effect and $1 Game Pass for Limited Time
Hello, fellow gamers! Welcome to your action-packed December Xbox Game Pass update. In addition to over 100 great games already included in your Xbox Game Pass membership, we’re excited to share the addition of yet another seven games starting December 1. Titles including Gears of War 4, Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter and more! Plus, tune in to Mixer on December 1 and watch our favorite streamers get hands-on with the latest additions… Read more

Co-op Spellcasting Adventure Nine Parchments Coming Soon to Xbox One
Nine Parchments is a type of game that we like to call a blast’em up, where you play as a bunch of wizarding students on a quest to find powerful spell parchments. All the apprentice students use magic and therefore the game centers on spellcasting and using your wizard powers. Your goal in Nine Parchments is to blast your way through foes and to keep your teammates alive. You can play in single-player or with up to four players in co-op… Read more

Xbox and Doritos Team up with YouTube Stars to Play Bold
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Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: World of Tanks
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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 arrived recently, pretty much the last major retail release on the Switch for this year. It’s another triumph for Monolith Soft and Nintendo, and is sure to keep fans busy into 2018. That said, one thing we said in our review was that, although it’s a handsome game in various ways, it has one of the “biggest docked / portable gulfs yet on the Switch”. It looks pretty nice on a TV, but detail and resolution are rather different on the portable.

Now our chums at Digital Foundry have done their thing and given a tech analysis on the Switch title. It’s an interesting watch and puts some more detail and numbers on the resolution, framerate and so on. Check it out below.

We think anyone playing the game will accept that it has some technical flaws – on the other hand it’s a sizeable and ambitious title, so it’s unsurprising. Perhaps, like with the year’s other massive adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there’ll be some updates and patches to smooth out some issues.

Let us know how you’re getting on with the game, or if you’re planning to pick it up for the festive period.

STAR OCEAN™ – THE LAST HOPE -™ 4K & Full HD Remaster is Now Available on Steam!

STAR OCEAN – THE LAST HOPE – 4K & Full HD Remaster Coming soon for PC / STEAM

Explore the galaxy on your quest, make allies and enemies among the alien races you encounter, and uncover a danger so great that it threatens all of creation.