Who is Sandsoft?

We are a new, dynamic games company based in Saudi Arabia focused on publishing, developing & investing in high quality, core mobile Free to Play and Play & Earn game experiences and studios across the world. Our seasoned team is composed of passionate game makers with vast experience on some of the most highly successful game franchises ever released including FIFA, Candy Crush, Need for Speed, Angry Birds, World of Tanks and more. And we are backed by the resources of one of the largest, most successful and prestigious corporations in the Middle East (Ajlan & Bros Abilitii).

What is this Program?

Sandsoft Games launches the second iteration of its acclaimed and intensive program designed to nurture the best and brightest talent in KSA to help grow the Saudi Gaming Industry.

Sandsoft’s Press Start program is for students, graduates, existing game developers and anyone else interested in making mobile games. We’re offering eight passionate game developers the opportunity, resources and support to make free-to-play games for a fixed term of six months at Sandsoft’s Riyadh Studio.

You will work in a small team together and fully own the playable F2P game you wish to make from beginning to end. That’s right, you will have the autonomy to decide what to develop. Every member of the Press Start Team will need to be a value add wearing multiple hats.

You should have a good level of knowledge and skills in your own discipline. This program is about fast tracking your development experience. As such, while we will provide you with support to develop a game as a small team, you should already have high quality skills/capabilities in your chosen disciplines.

You’ll be given equipment, space, resources and get to work first-hand with developers from some of the biggest gaming franchises in the world and see how global mobile games are made as well as insights and access into how we think about data, marketing and players.

You'll have six months to deliver at least one game which may be made available to the public.

The team of 8 will be made up of a number of x2 Designers, x2 Artists and x4 Programmers.

At the end of the program, depending on you and the team’s performance, there may be the chance to join the Sandsoft Riyadh Studio Team as a full time game developer.

Why are we doing this?

As a part of KSA Vision 2030, we want to nurture future generations of talent in the Kingdom to open up new opportunities in the most exciting industries in the world. We can't do it without local Saudi people, so we're offering you a unique opportunity to learn from our experience and speed up your professional development to become one of the leaders in your domain and the region.

Requirements

• Be able to reside and work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Be able to work and commit to this internship full time starting from Sunday 6 August 2023 and ends on Thursday 8 February 2024
• Coding skills (C++, C#, Java)
• Experience with Game Engines such as Unity/Unreal etc is highly desirable.
• Experience in making games whether professionally or in your spare time, at university or wherever it may be. 
• Deep Passion and interest in mobile games.
• Highly proficient in English Reading, Spoken and Written.
• Experience working in a team environment is highly desirable. If you are already working in a small team to develop games we encourage you to also apply together.

When does the Program start and end?

The Sandsoft Riyadh Press Start Program starts on Sunday, 6 August 2023 and ends on Thursday, 8 February 2024.

The deadline for applying is Friday, 7 July 2023 at 23:59 AST.

We will assess applications as we receive them and will let you know if you have been chosen for follow up interviews or not.

Your application should include a resume where you list your level of experience, what projects/games you have worked on and what technical skills you have, including what tools and tech are familiar with.
Send us examples of your work - anything from finished games to concepts to WIP to showreels or portfolios.