God of War Developer’s Next Game Will Have Multiplayer

Kyle Durant March 30, 2011 9:30 AM EST

How about a fun, little challenge? Name any PS3 or PS2 game/series that is well-loved but doesn’t feature a multiplayer component. Am I correct in saying the God of War franchise was on this imaginary list? Well it so happens that Santa Monica Studios’ next game (rumored to be God of War 4) will have an online feature. Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Santa Monica division has recently posted a job listing looking for a “senior online programmer” that can handle networking needs such as matchmaking and leaderboards. There has been no official announcement on a new GOW game so we CAN’T say God of War 4 is real and will have online play. It is a possibility though and vice-versa. Check after the break for the responsibilities and qualifications of this online programming job and see if you can read between the lines.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Designing and implementing systems and tools to support networking needs (such as in-game communication, client-server, match-making, leaderboards)

• Help support existing systems

• Writing clear, maintainable, portable, and highly functional code

• Profiling and performance tuning of code and systems to remove bottlenecks

• As needed work on tools and technology tasks to support specific project requirements

• Testing and documenting of the code you write QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least 5 years or more programming experience

• Expertise in C and C++

• Good understanding of networking issues as they relate to games

• Strong generalist skills

• Self-motivated with good communication skills

• Able and motivated to work with other team members

• Commitment to code quality, documentation and sound testing procedures

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Rumors and possibilities aside, how cool would it be if God of War got multiplayer? Anyone have any original ideas that could make this feature work? Ex. Could it be a fighting, third person action, or an MMO game? Be creative!

[Gamasutra]