Opportunities to work on popular video game franchises like Halo, Minecraft and Fallout don’t come around very often in Victoria, but with the launching of SkyBox Labs new studio in Market Square, now could be your moment.
Founded in 2011, Vancouver’s fastest-growing game development studio has recently expanded into Victoria, and they’re looking for engineers, designers, producers, artists and more to build their team here.
“Victoria is the perfect place to open our first studio outside of Metro Vancouver. With the city’s growing game development scene and exceptional schools like the University of Victoria and Camosun College, we’re extremely excited about this growth opportunity,” says SkyBox Labs co-founder Derek MacNeil.
The SkyBox Labs team is currently co-developing Halo Infinite, working on projects in the Minecraft universe, and is also supporting the development of Magic: The Gathering Arena and Fallout 76. They work closely with industry-leading studios like Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Wizards of the Coast.
This year, they’ve launched a total of three new offices – two in Burnaby and one in Victoria – and will grow to 250 team members.
“I’m humbled by how well it’s gone, but it’s a testament to how high quality our team is. We have one of the best teams in our industry, and it shows because they do amazing work on great titles,” says MacNeil.
Aside from working on big-budget games from well-known publishers, one of the best parts of working at SkyBox Labs is their work culture, which is centered on a deep love for video games.
“We’ve been very successful at having a very gamer-focused culture,” says MacNeil. “We’re very much a people-first studio in that we try to make things enjoyable. We’re making games, so at the end of the day, we should be having fun doing it.”
SkyBox Labs believes in reasonable workloads, achievable deadlines, team building and having a work-life balance where team members still have space for fun and fulfillment. They value ongoing growth and offer game development courses to their team on areas they’re interested in.
“We work on big, AAA titles that people know and love. That’s one of the things that I’m actually most excited about, that we can bring more AAA console and PC development to Victoria, because currently, most studios that are in Victoria focus on the mobile or indie side of gamedev,” says MacNeil.
There is a wide array of projects, including original games, and areas to work on at SkyBox.
For example, with their ongoing development of Halo Infinite, they’ve contributed with their engineering, user experience and interface design, animation, character art, environment art, lighting, tech art, production and quality assurance.
Despite their fast-growing team, SkyBox Labs is committed to preserving that personal, making-an-impact feeling that is traditionally relegated to smaller studios.
“With supportive leaders and a team of genuine people you’ll be proud to work alongside, you matter at SkyBox Labs. We hire talented people from diverse backgrounds, ultimately cultivating an environment of trust and mutual respect where you can thrive,” informs SkyBox Labs.
If you’re interested in applying for a role at SkyBox Labs, please visit their . To stay up to date with what SkyBox Labs is up to, follow them on , and .
