Senior Game Programmer

Our Game Studio transforms ideas into the magic of play. From the beginning, we take a custodian’s approach that forms the foundation of the games and entertainment properties we create. As passionate, accomplished world-builders, we thrive on developing interactive stories that can be enjoyed by people around the world. With experience working on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and web browsers, our studio team knows the process inside out, from start to finish.

In 2012, Wētā Workshop formed its Game Studio to create the world’s first mixed-reality game, Dr. Grordbort’s Invaders. Set amongst rayguns, rocket ships and deadly robot miscreants imagined by our friend and colleague Greg Broadmore, we were approached by Rony Abovitz, founder of Florida-based company Magic Leap, to bring this extraordinary world into people’s homes. Following rave reviews on its release, we developed three more games: Dr. Grordbort’s Boosters, The Society of (NOT) Getting Along Nicely and Raygun Arena. Wētā Workshop has been nominated for both Visual Effects Society Awards and DICE Awards and has received a New Zealand Game Award and a Wellington Gold Award.

Our next title is due for release in July 2025 - Tales of the Shire. In this storybook return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, you live the cosy life of a Hobbit as you set forth in Bywater. Though not yet established as an official village, you’ll play a big part in helping the quaint town flourish. Greet comfort at the door as you decorate your own Hobbit-hole, tend to your garden, fish at clear ponds, forage wild fruits and herbs, and trade with townsfolks.

Our workplace is flexible, inclusive, supportive ... and dog friendly!

Help us develop breath-taking games across a variety of platforms within Wētā Workshop’s Interactive division.
Fun, collaborative team that looks out for each other.
Full-time role with flexible work-life balance arrangements

Specialists in creating rich worlds of wonder and telling immersive stories. For over 30 years, Wētā Workshop has been pushing the boundaries, earning multiple awards for our ground-breaking work in film and games. Based in Wellington, NZ we work with the biggest names in the entertainment industry to deliver unforgettable experiences to our fans the world over.

As a Senior Programmer, you will be reporting to our Lead Programmer and working in conjunction with the rest of the Interactive division to build delightful games to captivate our fans. Your first assignment will be helping to flesh out the core systems of our current game project with an IP that is very close to our hearts.

What will you be doing?

Leading the development of core game features and building robust game systems code.
Developing in fast, iterative cycles to prototype gameplay loops and mechanics.
Working withing a cross disciplinary team to create adaptive and scalable gameplay systems.
Creating systems that are accessible for other disciplines to work in.
Writing tools to improve the dev cycle of the studio.
Assisting with defining and improving development pipelines and processes.
Supporting optimisation, bug fixing and finalising efforts for our game projects.
Supporting non-technical members of the team with coding questions.
Assist with training and mentoring your team members.
Help us to foresee dependencies early.

What we’re looking for from you?

Significant games industry experience, preferably with multiple shipped projects in a programming role.
Deep knowledge of one or more common game systems such as networking, AI, databases, or analytics.
Expert knowledge of C#.
Extensive experience with Unity game engine and it’s quirks.
Comfortable with one or more industry standard repository systems.
Team player ready to roll-up your sleeves and help others.

What we can offer you

Flexible working arrangements so you can work in a way that’s best for you and create a work-life balance.
Our studio is dog friendly, so feel free to bring them along. We can assure you they’ll get lots of pats to keep them happy.
Each Friday we have a social get together in the late afternoon. We also have social events throughout the year.
Professional development opportunities so you can continue to grow and blossom.

We’re a fun, collaborative team, who look out for and support one another. As a creative business, we know that inspiration is achieved by working with people who have a range of experiences and perspectives. We strive to create a culture of belonging, where our team members feel welcome, supported and diversity is celebrated. After all, games are for everyone.

Sound like you? We are reviewing applications as they come in so please Apply now through the link below!

For more information, please contact recruitment@wetaworkshop.co.nz