Apple have become a somewhat driving force in the gaming industry thanks to their line of iPhone and iPad products that really paved the way for gaming on the go without the need for a dedicated console.
Obviously a lot of people prefer the dedicated handheld consoles, but there's still a lot of enjoyment to be found on smartphones, something many publishers are more than aware of with the likes of Rockstar, EA and Square Enix releasing some of the biggest games on the platform.
There have been a few rumours over the last couple of years that Apple may want to invest further in gaming, though we've not really seen much to support it.
However, there are some clues starting to emerge which indicate that Apple may be dipping their toes into the waters of the gaming industry.
A couple of new career opportunity adverts for the California-based firm are particularly interesting and make note of next-generation 3D and 2D experiences as well as the potential to explore hardware and software research and development. Check out the first posting down below.
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Apple’s Software team is looking for a Senior Technical Artist to prototype and create next generation 3D and 2D experiences in a fast-paced demo & research environment. The individual must be able to take concepts rapidly to the prototyping phase and iterate directly with engineers to explore hardware and software R&D. The ideal candidate enjoys pushing boundaries of hardware and software in the service of an amazing & immersive visual experiences.
Required experience:
- Strong skills in rapid design and world building in high-framerate, performance-oriented systems.
- Strong 2D & 3D visual design skills in a flexible, collaborative environment
- Strong commitment to visual design, performance, & outstanding user experience
- Thrives on learning new technologies & toolsets in the service of excellent art
- Excellent teamwork and communication skills
Desired experience:
- Unity, 3D StudioMax, Maya, Unreal Engine, Unity Engine, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop
- Deep understanding of optimization of 2D & 3D graphics in relation to high performance, realistic systems and simulation
- Flexible, creative, able & willing to learn new technologies and methodologies
- Experience in a fast paced, cross functional software environments
- Comfortable in environments with multiple contributing artist/designers & as the solo artist on a project with development engineers.
- Knowledge of scripting languages like Python, Mel and Maxscript
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I’m not a gambling man, but I’d be more than willing to put a wager (nothing mental, only a tenner) that Apple are working on something gaming-specific.
It wouldn’t be an uninformed bet either as there’s more hints in the second advert down below.
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Changing the world is all in a day’s work at Apple. If you love innovation, here’s your chance to make a career of it. Play a part in the next revolution in user experience by delivering cinematic user interfaces and simplifying human interface in fundamental ways. Build a team to develop new user interaction solutions, while working on innovative products.
We are looking for an exceptional Senior Software Engineer with a proven track record in graphics programming. The successful candidate will architect and engineer state-of-the-art, real-time visualization software that pushes the boundaries of realism and performance on modern graphic hardware and displays.
Key Qualifications
OpenGL/DirectX
Optimizing GPU performance
Shader Development
Texturing & Lighting expertise
Significant technical leadership role in a core engineering team
Strong collaboration and leadership skills are a must
Description
3D console/pc game development
Large/open-world dataset rendering
Unity/Unreal development and performance tuning
C/C++/Objective-C general programming
Experience in a fast paced, cross functional software environments
Thrives on learning new technologies; excellent debugging and troubleshooting skills
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Going off what is mentioned in the the two adverts it certainly looks as though Apple may be taking a much more hands-on approach to gaming by increasing their direct input. Lets just hope they don’t turn out another naff console…
I’d like to increase my bet to a handsome £20.