Fallout fans have recently experienced some rather turbulent times, many having fallen victim to the hoax “Survivor2299” Fallout 4 teaser site. Then, over a month later, a fake Fallout 4 announcement e-mail was circulated on the social news and entertainment site reddit. Suffice to say, although the incidents disappointed many longstanding fans of the series, the hoaxes reinvigorated interest in the game.

In spite of these false starts, it appears that the Maryland Studio, Bethesda, is very likely developing the next iteration in the post-apocalyptic franchise. On Dec. 11, 2013, Kotaku revealed a series of documents, allegedly leaked from a casting call, for a project code-named “Institute” – an obvious reference to the mysterious organization, frequently referred to throughout Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, and renowned for its sophisticated technologies. The documents appeared to confirm prior rumors that Fallout 4 would have a Boston setting and provided an introductory narration, a character model and details on a museum mission.

As reported by OXM, however, Bethesda and its parent company, Zenimax Media, are attempting to recruit a slew of new staff. Firstly, the position of a game programmer is being offered, who will be tasked with aiding a team that is involved in “… pushing the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and consoles.” The studio stipulates that the position requires previous experience in the games industry, along with DirectX 11 and games consoles (including Xbox One and PS4), and a firm grasp of C++ and “object-orientated programming.”

A level designer position also cropped up in the Design Department. The designer will become responsible for the “… design, build, and script levels for future next generation products.” For the post, candidates require experience with “… scripting or programming complex interactivity,” while creative writing experience is noted as a plus. Interestingly, Bethesda have specifically stated that it would be a bonus if potential recruits had experience with The Elder Scrolls Construction Set or GECK. GECK is an abbreviation for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit in the Fallout verse, as well as the name of a set of Fallout modding tools.

A user interface designer is also sought for the Art Department. According to Bethesda, the position requires design and implementation of in-game interfaces, experience designing and producing “elegant” user interfaces and an understanding of graphic design and motion graphics.

Rounding off the list of job advertisements – directly relating to video game development – the studio has listed a quest designer position. The quest designer would be involved in “… designing and documenting stories and quests…” and using the studio’s proprietary toolset to produce and implement missions; primary responsibilities involve designing narrative structure, penning game dialogue and scripting the gameplay. Again, applicants would benefit from having experience with The Elder Scrolls Construction Set or GECK.

Finally, the position of an executive producer is also available. The candidate will need to champion the product in question, oversee profit and loss analysis, mentor and manage production staff and form relations with third party developers and contractors, to name a few of the responsibilities. The executive also requires pre-existing, “Comprehensive knowledge of action/adventure/shooter product genres.”

The recent slew of job posts also comes in the wake of Texas-based developers Battlecry Studios – another of ZeniMax Media’s subsidiaries – having focused on hiring additional game designers and server engineers for their upcoming project.

In the meantime, a Fallout 4 petition recently sprung to life on change.org. The petition’s inceptor, Silviu Ploisteanu, requests that Bethesda officially announce whether the game is in the works and, if so, provide details regarding its setting. Thus far, over 6,000 signatures have been generated.

By James Fenner

Sources:

Guardian Liberty Voice1

Guardian Liberty Voice2

Guardian Liberty Voice3

Guardian Liberty Voice4

ZeniMax/Bethesda

Change.org

OXM

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