LOCATION - ONTARIO (REMOTE)

Due to funding requirements, this role is only open to candidates based in Ontario, Canada. If you’re not currently living in Ontario, we unfortunately can’t consider your application at this time.

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THE GAME

We’re hiring a Senior Programmer to help bring our next title from late prototype to full production. The project has secured production funding, and we’re looking for someone to join the team in January 2026 to help finish prototyping the core gameplay loops and then lead development through production and launch.

Our unannounced project is a story about memory, family, and the mind. You play as Emma, a young woman who’s just returned home to take over a failing family business—one that lets you explore people’s minds and recover their memories.

Think: a cozy narrative business management sim focused on exploration, collection, discovery, and upgrading. Team touchstones include: A Short Hike, Dredge, Sable, and Night in the Woods.

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YOUR ROLE

You’ll own the technical side of development from our current prototype through to final release. That means:

• Writing solid, maintainable game code in Unity and C#
• Work closely with a team of 5 members in narrative, art, and design to build the final game
• Prototyping and iterating on core gameplay systems
• Debugging and optimizing across the full project lifecycle
• Helping shape and maintain clean, scalable architecture for the final game build

You’ll collaborate closely with design, art, and narrative to bring the game to life in a way that feels tight, responsive, and stable on PC.

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YOU’LL BE A GREAT FIT IF YOU…

• Have shipped at least one commercial game and know your way around performance bottlenecks, custom systems, and edge-case management from early development through launch
• Can take core gameplay architecture from an early prototype and turn it into clean, scalable, production-ready code
• Are comfortable working with an all-remote team based in Ontario using tools like Slack and weekly video meetings
• Are currently based in Ontario, Canada (required due to funding constraints)

Bonus points if you…

• Have deep experience working in Unity (URP)
• Love cozy exploration and collection focused games like Dredge, A Short Hike, Sable
• Have previously led or co-founded an indie team, or acted as a technical lead on a project from start to the game being shipped

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WHAT YOU’LL BE WORKING ON

• A Unity project that mixes 3D and 2D elements (roughly the size/scope of _Dredge_)
• Integrating and maintaining Yarn Spinner for in-game dialogue, narrative choices, and VO
• Ensuring system stability and optimization on PC and supporting porting of the game to Switch and (potentially) other consoles via an external team

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PROJECT & TIMELINE

The current plan includes:

• Jan–Feb 2026: ~2 months of further prototype/greybox development (Full-time Contract)
• Mar 2026 onward: ~16 months of full production (Full-time contract)

You’ll be coming in at a great time: the creative vision is locked, funding is secured, and there’s lots of room to help shape the game’s technical direction and game design.

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HOW TO APPLY

Send an email with your CV, portfolio, website, or LinkedIn profile with the subject line: “Senior Ontario Programmer”. We’ll be reviewing applications on a rolling basis through December and January. As a small indie team, we typically only have capacity to respond to shortlisted candidates. Thank you in advance for your understanding!