With the rocky launch of Driveclub some ominously predicted the end of Evolution Studios, with some even hoping for Sony to "punish" the Runcorn-based developer for the mistakes made on its latest racing games by closing the studio.

Looks like, thankfully, that isn't in the cards, as the studio has just gone on a hiring spree by posting four new career opportunity ads seeking a C++ Graphics Programmer, a Junior C++ Game/Systems Programmer, a Senior C++ Game/Systems Programmer and a Build & Configuration Engineer.

It's extremely unlikely that Sony would go on a sizable hunt for new developers for a studio that it intends to close, so if you were between the idiots (yes, I said "Idiots," and I mean it. I'm not even sorry) that hoped for the axe to fall, well...It's most probably not going to happen.

Now that I got that out of my chest, let's give a look to the ads themselves. The descriptions for the C++ programmers is very similar for all the ads:

Evolution Studios, part of the Sony Worldwide Studios family and creator of PlayStation 4’s ground breaking DRIVECLUB are looking for a highly talented Graphics Programmer to join their world-class development team in Cheshire.

The successful candidate will have a mandate to push the visual and technical boundaries of Sony platforms, supported by direct access to the teams who developed the PlayStation4 hardware and software.

Applicants must have practical experience and in depth knowledge of graphics programming and debugging along with a comprehensive understanding of console hardware

The description for the Build Engineer is a little different:

Evolution Studios, part of the Sony Worldwide Studios family and creator of PlayStation 4’s ground breaking DRIVECLUB are looking for a highly talented Build and Configuration Engineer to join their world-class development team in Cheshire.

The successful candidate will have a mandate to iteratively improve build and test automation to facilitate greater creative and technical innovation, supported by direct access to the teams who developed the PlayStation4 hardware and software.

The Graphics Programmer ad is especially interesting as it mentions "designing, developing, documenting, testing and maintaining relevant, accessible, innovative and performant graphical features and associated tools and technologies" and "broad and objective profiling, analysis and optimisation skills with emphasis on GPUs."

The build engineer ad, on the other hands, includes "reducing development iteration time," and  "Ensuring regular delivery of robust videogame “packages”."

At the moment it isn't known whether those chosen for the position listed will still work on Driveclub's DLC or on a new project or sequel, but Sony seems to be definitely aiming to strengthen Evolution's development and technological capabilities. It'll be interesting to see the results in the upcoming months.