The GameJobHunter Blog - Video Game Jobs » Orlando http://gamejobhunter.com/blog Video game job hunting tips and observations Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:42:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Big Week in Orlando Game Development http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/big-week-in-orlando-game-development/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=big-week-in-orlando-game-development http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/big-week-in-orlando-game-development/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:50:29 +0000 hailpza http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/?p=286 If you’ve followed this blog at all, you’ve probably figured out by now that I live in Orlando.  It’s not often that there’s a flurry of activity in the local community, but this week has defnitely been the exception.  It’s exciting to see a little bit of game development buzz in the city, so I wanted to highlight some of the big news.

  • Madden NFL 10 released- Everyone knows Madden, but not everyone knows that it’s developed by Orlando’s largest developer, EA Tiburon.
  • Snood ReDood released – The Dreamhive recently partnered with Monkey Gods to release an old classic on Facebook and iPhone.  Snood just launched, and is already quickly claiming the App Store sales charts!  I sampled the online version with one of the creators tonight, and am proud to say I left with a 1-1 split. ;)
  • KIL.A.TON released – Dot Matrix Interactive is made up of several EA vets, and they’ve now released 2 titles for the iPhone.  They just released KIL.A.TON, and it looks very slick!  It’s already getting solid press from sites like TouchArcade.
  • Brenda Brathwaite (follow her on Twitter) speaking at IGDA Orlando on 08/18- Brenda is a well known industry vet who currently teaches game design at SCAD, and it should be an interesting experience to hear her thoughts on design.  The meeting will be held at Full Sail, so stop by if you can!
]]> http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/big-week-in-orlando-game-development/feed/ 0 Local Video Game Companies – Orlando http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/local-video-game-companies-orlando/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=local-video-game-companies-orlando http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/local-video-game-companies-orlando/#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:05:08 +0000 hailpza http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/?p=40 **UPDATED MAY 2011**

I mentioned a while back that I thought it would be interesting to start putting together some “local game industry” profiles, with an emphasis on cities that weren’t the first 4 or 5 you think of when you think development hubs.  I’ll try and make these as detailed as I can, but feel free to ping me if I leave anyone out.

Game Studios

  • EA Tiburon – by far the largest player in town.  This is the studio responsible for Madden, Tiger Woods, and more.
  • n-Space- mid-sized studio that’s been around for quite a while.  They’ve worked on a lot of DS and Wii titles recently.
  • ZeeGee Games – these guys are up to all sorts of interesting things.  Virtual worlds, casual titles, a DS game.  You name it, they’ve probably dabbled in it
  • Row Sham Bow – Social gaming start-up located in downtown Orlando.  They’re made up of several former high-level EA Tiburon employees.
  • Dot Matrix Interactive – a new developer of iPhone titles.  The studio was founded by several EA vets – check out their first title, Croke
  • 360ed – surprise surprise, ex-EA people involved.  ;)   They’re working on some interesting educational games.
  • Firebrand Games – developers of racing titles like Track Mania.  They’ve got a studio just outside of Orlando in Merritt Island.

Defunct

The Dreamhive – RIP, Dreamhive

Game Schools

  • Full Sail - big campus, great facilities.  Heavily involved in local IGDA
  • FIEA – really nice campus, and great people to boot
  • DAVE School

Other Organizations

  • IGDA - the local chapter meets about once a month.  It’s a fun group, with people from all over the industry

Hope this (and future city profiles) is helpful!  If I left anyone out, let me know.

]]> http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/local-video-game-companies-orlando/feed/ 10 IGDA Orlando http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/igda-orlando/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=igda-orlando http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/igda-orlando/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:09:56 +0000 hailpza http://gamejobhunter.wordpress.com/?p=61 I’ve mentioned networking before as an essential element of a video game job hunt.  IGDA meetings are a fantastic place to meet people from all over the gaming industry.  I live in Orlando, and I’ve been attending our local chapter’s meetings for about 2 years now.  Even in a game company market as small as Orlando, I’ve met people from some very interesting companies – small casual game developers, military sim and serious game companies, MMO creators, students – you get the picture.  It’s an eclectic group, and I’m sure it’s an even bigger mix in cities with a greater concentration of companies.

Anyways, if you happen to be in or around the Orlando area, there is a meeting this week downtown.  Check out the Facebook event page:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55380245631&ref=ts

]]> http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/igda-orlando/feed/ 1 Welcome Zeitgeist Games! http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/welcome-zeitgeist-games/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=welcome-zeitgeist-games http://gamejobhunter.com/blog/welcome-zeitgeist-games/#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:24:35 +0000 hailpza http://gamejobhunter.wordpress.com/?p=57 Zeitgeist is a studio in Orlando that’s working on all kinds of stuff.  They’re a licensed WiiWare developer, and have recently put out their first DS title.    They’ve also done a few casual Flash titles over the years.  They’re cool guys – I’ve met them at several IGDA meetings.  They’re looking for a few engineers, so head on over to GameJobHunter.com and check out their ads.  They’ve also recently updated their own site – check it out at www.zeitgeistgames.com.

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