In the current climate now might not seem like the ideal time to start job hunting but there are still plenty of jobs out there, with some industries able to carry on regardless while others have to close in the lockdown. For the most part, videogame developers can work remotely and still need new staff for current projects, like British studio Pixel Toys which is looking for staff to work on a new VR first-person shooter (FPS).
Job listings can be a good way of finding out what a studio might have planned before any official announcements are made. Pixel Toys – best known in VR circles for its zombie shooter Drop Dead Dual Strike – is currently looking for a Lead Designer (VR) to help: ‘guide development of our big license FPS VR title,’ notes the listing.
Applicants need to be: ‘Well versed in all areas of AAA game design’, so this does sound like Pixel Toys’ biggest VR project to date. A little more info is revealed via the Executive Producer job listing which is looking for someone with experience within the VR shooter space. It goes onto say: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work on a cutting edge VR shooter game, closely partnering both with a major first party and a much sought after IP holder.”
At the moment there are no further details regarding which IP Pixel Toys is developing for but an educated guess may lean towards the Warhammer franchise. Having previously created Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm War – with Freeblade also including an augmented reality (AR) feature – the chance of running around as a Space Marine in VR would be an enticing prospect.
The Drop Dead series began in 2016 on Gear VR followed by a launch on Oculus Rift in 2017. With the release of Oculus Quest, last year Pixel Toys updated the experience as Drop Dead Dual Strike for both of the headsets. The update added dual-wielding, melee weapons as well as cross-play and cross-buy support.
As the job listings are very new don’t expect any more news just yet. VRFocus will let you know when further announcements are made.