Ubisoft Graduate Program 2015
It’s an all too familiar dilemma faced by many recent (or soon-to-be recent) graduates: In order to get hired anywhere, you need experience… but you can’t get experience without being hired. That’s where the Ubisoft Graduate Program comes in. Through this program, aspiring developers have a unique opportunity to enter into a fast-paced workplace where they’ll be able to get plenty of hands-on experience working within an international team. And the best part is, there’s no prior work experience required.
The first group of graduates already began their adventure with the Ubisoft Graduate Program, and now we’ve opened up applications for the second year. Take a look below for details on the program, including locations, career paths, and basic information about what the Graduate Program offers. Don’t miss your chance to earn your game development stripes straight out of college!
General Details
“The Ubisoft Graduate Program is a two-year custom-made experience designed to accelerate access to a career in videogames. We give our graduates responsibilities within specific projects that we know will help them learn faster,” says Clémence Bataille, the Project Manager for the Ubisoft Graduate Program. “Our goal is that graduates accumulate four years of experience in the space of two years. At the end of the program, they will be armed with considerable knowledge of the videogames sector and the company, and will be able to take on the challenges of new and exciting responsibilities within Ubisoft.”
As they are immersed in a project, graduates will have the chance to play an active role in videogame creation. Each course will provide you with the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the industry and the game development process. Projects will vary based on the studio you work in and the career path you join. Scroll down to the Career Paths section for an idea of the requirements for each career path as well as what your duties might include.
The Application Process
If you haven’t graduated just yet, don’t worry. You just need to have graduated by the time the program begins in September. The application deadline is February 15, 2015. Once you have applied, the selection process will involve local interviews, technical tests and assessments, and interviews with teams at Ubisoft’s headquarters. All graduates will be selected by April. Submit your application at the official website or take a look at the career paths below for a direct link to each path’s application.
Where In the World?
For the first year of the program, graduates will be placed in a studio located in their home country. This year we are proud to announce Ubisoft Singapore has joined the list of studios in the program. Following the first year, students will be transferred to a new studio in another country. Where they are transferred to depends on the needs of the projects as well as the graduate’s performance and motivation. Should you choose to apply, you will need to be prepared to work in different locations and on different projects.
Studios involved in the program:
- Paris (France)
Annecy (France)
Montpellier (France)
Kiev (Ukraine)
Redlynx (Helsinki, Finland)
Massive (Malmo, Sweden)
Bucharest (Romania)
Reflections (Newcastle, UK)
Montreal (Canada)
Quebec (Canada)
Toronto (Canada)
RedStorm (North Carolina, US)
Singapore
Ubisoft hopes to expand the program to other studios in the future.
Career Paths
This year we are proud to offer career options for those interested Project Management, Online Programming and Gameplay Programming. Be sure to read through the descriptions and requirements of each path. If you still have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below. We will do our best to answer all your queries until the application process ends.
Project Management
Also called Producers, Project Managers are tasked with leading projects and large teams in rapidly changing environments. As the Project Manager, it will be your job to ensure all departments (designers, artists, programmers, animators, etc.) are on the same page and manage your project’s resources and schedule. Project Managers must be highly organized and possess strong business acumen.
Your duties may include:
- Participating in the monitoring of project deliverables and risks to ensure the respect of deadlines, budget and quality
Participating in the implementation and the follow-up of the decision-making process
Providing relevant reporting to the game development team
Contributing to a smooth and efficient communication between all project stakeholders
Delivering ad-hoc analysis (benchmark, post-mortem) and handling ad-hoc assignments such as consumer playtests
Requirements:
You must hold a Bachelor or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Project Management, or Engineering and have less than 1 year of professional experience (excluding internships).
Expected qualities in a candidate:
- Leadership abilities
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Agile, proactive and consumer oriented
Analytical and problem solving skills
Team player
Fluent in English
Geographically mobile
Interest in videogames and/or entertainment industry
Apply for the Project Management path here.
Online Programming
With a seamlessly connected world becoming increasingly more core in the development of games, it is up to Online Programmers to ensure a game delivers the most enjoyable online experience to players. As an Online Programmer you will play a major role in ensuring that millions of players are simultaneously immersed in these worlds and can enjoy the game with their friends regardless of how they connect.
Your duties may include:
- Participating in the creation of new online services related to a game
Developing, integrating and maintaining global online platform services such as Matchmaking, Leaderboards, etc.
Participating in determining systems’ behavior under normal or simulated peak load conditions to optimize performance
Optimizing function of bandwidth constraints: reducing the amount of information transmitted, decreasing latency, etc.
Identifying and solving down issues
Implementing and using predetermined replication systems
Requirements:
You must hold a Bachelor or Master’s degree in Engineering or Computer Science and have less than 1 year of professional experience (excluding internships).
Expected qualities in a candidate:
- Good understanding of Software Development principles: analysis, implementation, optimization, debugging.
Excellent C++ programming skills
Knowledge of server programming and database programming (MySQL, Redis, etc.)
Understanding of scalability issues and replication concepts
Understanding of other programming languages such as Python or Java is a plus
Knowledge of distributed systems and online services (i.e., guilds, trade, etc.) is a plus
Proactive with strong problem-solving skills
Good level of English
Ability to work as part of a cross-disciplinary team
Interest in videogames and online gaming
Apply for the Online Programming path here.
Gameplay Programming
Of the three offered career paths, Gameplay Programmer is the one most people will be familiar with. Gameplay Programmers are the people who turn game design mechanics and content into playable sequences. As a Gameplay Programmer you will collaborate very closely with designers, artists, animators and other game development team members.
Your duties may include:
- Participating in the architecture, conception and implementation of gameplay code based on design intentions, and implementing game controls focusing on quality
Optimizing and debugging gameplay code to ensure that gameplay is fluid
Suggesting and participating in the conception of prototypes with the design team
Analyzing and proposing innovative tools and techniques to achieve the best quality, based on the functionalities of the engine
Participating in the development of features that will make the game come to life
Requirements:
You must hold a Bachelor or Master’s degree in Engineering or Computer Science and have less than 1 year of professional experience (excluding internships).
Expected qualities in a candidate:
- Good C++ programming skills, capacity to write readable and modular code
Good knowledge of object–oriented development and technical knowledge of the software development process for prototyping, developing, optimizing and debugging
Strong interest in games system and mechanics
Curiosity about technical knowledge in physics, mathematics, animation and arts
Ability to work well both autonomously and within multicultural teams, and ready to work in different locations worldwide
Excellent analysis and problem-solving skills, with the goal of deploying effective solutions to complex problems
You understand and care about player needs
Passion and knowledge for videogames will make a difference
Effective communicator and fluent English speaker