Head of MMORPG

Would you like to be responsible for the games development strategy of one of our next major Massively Multiplayer Online Game offerings?

Jagex Ltd, developer and publisher of browser based online games is looking for an exceptional individual to join us and oversee the entire games development strategy, from concept to creation, of our next major MMOG, whilst also building and leading the development team itself.

Reporting into the Head of Studio and working closely with the key project stakeholders, the successful candidate will provide leadership and strategic direction, and oversee the game�€™s development into a full commercial product. They will also be responsible for the game�€™s overall concept, design and commercial performance.

This monumental yet highly rewarding role requires the highest levels of passion, experience, energy and commitment as we look to push forward our ambitious growth plans and shape an exciting future filled with yet more success by adding to our exciting product portfolio.

Key duties include:

* Working within a small team of key personnel to create concept and design documents for an entirely new MMORPG;
* Creating a product development strategy and project timeline, accurately forecasting cost, resources needed and reporting on project progress to key stakeholders;
* Working closely with the Recruitment team to hire key professionals and build the development team;
* Evaluation and evolution of production processes, ensuring maximum creativity and productivity within the development environment;
* Ensuring our game development teams are working effectively towards business goals by providing them with operational support and inspirational leadership;
* Continual advancement of game development lifecycles, ensuring a cohesive approach is maintained for the overall development of the game;
* Ongoing appraisal of team managers�€™ and members' individual performances, helping them to work towards their own continuous personal development and team objectives;
* Coordination of teams working in parallel with the creative development team as the project grows and passes through various developmental stages (QA, Translation, Graphics, Tools, Web Content, PR and Audio).

Essential requirements:

* Strong leadership skills, with a true lead by example approach;
* Experience within a Lead Designer position or similar, with an excellent understanding of MMORPG design mechanics;
* Ability to identify trends in the entertainment industry in order to anticipate strategies relevant to the development of the project;
* Knowledge of player behaviours, motivations and profiles;
* Knowledge of game development methods and practices, with an understanding of game design oriented to multiplayer environments;
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven ability to communicate enthusiastically, clearly and concisely to groups and individuals;
* The ability to adapt, re-prioritise and immediately solve problems according to the needs of a fast-moving working environment;
* A deep, proven passion for computer gaming and design;
* Excellent project management skills.

Also useful:

* Executive Producer or equivalent level experience within the games industry;
* Experience of localisation in either games or software;
* Knowledge or experience of developing products for multiple platforms.

Details:

Salary
Very competitive (negotiable, depending on experience), plus excellent benefits package including annual bonus, private health care, gym membership and relocation fund.

Location
Cambridge, UK. Candidates must be able to work in Cambridge or relocate if offered the position.

Multiple platforms? Maybe they're coming out for more than just the PC?

Also in the title you might want to fix "NextNextScape" I'm guessing you only meant 1 next?

On Topic: It doesn't look like MechScape to me either, they have a few times in there "Entirely New MMORPG" Maybe they're starting something completely new? Because wouldn't they have someone for this already?

Damn you Ren, I was gonna post about the Job Vacancy :P

I still think it could be for MS, as they could be fooling us when they say entirely new. I mean, what percentage of RuneScape's active players know about MS? Not many IMO.

So let's just make this clear;

Jagex are planning to use micro payments in this game but not MechScape?

Is there ANY chance WHATSOEVER that this is the MechScape game they are planning to release?

And Ren are there any hints what genre it will be?

Looking forward to seeing what type of MMORPG this game will be.

MMO not MMORPG.

OK we get the point its a mmorpg!

But we need to know whats its called!!!

They probably haven't named it yet. They are probably using a codename like "NextScape", "ThirdScape" or "OtherScape".

Why on Earth would they be working on a third MMO when they are working on MechScape at the same time? They should be directing their resources to one.

Oh, and there appears to be no evidence that this is a third game instead of MechScape.

As stated on Massively, Jagex already have a Head of MechScape: Henrique Olifiers. And Jagex have plenty of money to be investing in a third MMO.

You mean themes? Because MMORPG is already a genre.

Multiple platforms? Maybe they're coming out for more than just the PC?

Hmm, maybe thirdscape is where this is coming from, I think that since they have a medievel version and a futuristic version than this one could be in the present. Peoplescape! Well not really... Why couldn't the head of the new MMO be for Mechscape, they are also looking for a head of Runescape, so maybe some people are retiring and they need someone to take over. Also what is micro payment?

They already have a head of MechScape: Henrique Olifiers. And the job description talks about starting a game from scratch whereas MechScape is a few months from being released and years into the development process. Also, virtually all the MechScape-related jobs said that a general Anime/Sci-fi interest was desirable, whereas this job does not. By the sound of it Jagex have no idea what ThirdScape is going to be like, and the origin of the two Non-Mechs has already been fairly well established.

Ok, well then it'll be cool to see a Thirdscape. My question still stands, What is micro payment?

Multiple platforms? Maybe they're coming out for more than just the PC?

This is something interesting I found. It was in an interview

Could you offer it on mobile phones at some point?

Mark Faulkner: Well, that's planned for the future. So potentially, yes. The mobile phone market is where I came from. It's a much more complex market because the interface on mobile phones is very basic compared to a PC, and also you tend to find that although Java is usually write once play anywhere, here it is write once customise everywhere. It's a bit more complex than it might first look. But it is certainly something we are thinking about for the future.
(source)

As I've been saying since before Jagex announced FunOrb, their intentions is for FunOrb to be a launchpad for their mobile phone games.

Lazyboy615: In addition to what you state above, Jagex are also increasing the number of language offerings. They are currently working on bringing us French then Portuguese, with more in the pipeline.

A cool feature they could do is introduce Multi-Language servers, that translate all text to your language, so a German, French Man, and an American could hold a conversation, and be able to understand 85% (Because Language programs aren't perfect).

I think they would require way too much processing power, and my experience with the accuracy of automatic translators has lead me to think that they are quite rubbish for facilitating communication. Better just to have QuickChat translate to to the local language.

I'd say that ThirdScape will be out by 2010. Until then, we wait.