Lead Game Developer

Playdawn’s Trusted Game Studios; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Playdawn’s Trusted Game Studios seeks a Lead Console Developer to own Xbox Series X|S and PS5 platform integration, including certification, SDK lifecycle, submission packaging, and crash/stability debugging. This is a hands‑on, non‑managerial technical lead role responsible for code delivery and cert pipelines.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in game development with 5+ years on console, shipped titles through Xbox XR and PS TRC, and is proficient in Unity on console and the Xbox GDK and PS5

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional game development.
• 5+ years of console experience (Xbox/PS).
• Shipped at least one title through Xbox certification (XR).
• Shipped at least one title through PlayStation certification (TRC).
• Unity on console: IL2CPP builds, platform‑dependent compilation, Unity Input System, on‑device profiling.
• Xbox GDK: MicrosoftGame.config, Submission Validator, Xbox Identity, achievements, PLM.
• PS5 SDK: param.json/sfo, Check, Prospero tools, Trophies, save‑data API, language detection.
• Experience shipping on codebases you did not build (ports, rescues, takeovers).
• Active coding and recent contribution within the last year.

Responsibilities

• Own console platform integration for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
• Lead certification pipelines, SDK lifecycle, and crash/stability debugging.
• Code daily; not a people manager, but drives technical direction across platforms.

Skills

10+ years of game development

5+ years on console

Shipped on Xbox certification

Shipped on PlayStation certification

Unity on console (IL2CPP)

Xbox GDK knowledge

PS5 SDK familiarity

Experience porting codebases

Active coding in latest projects

Tools

Xbox XR/Submission tooling

Prospero tools / Trophies

Platform profiling tools

Job description

Lead Console Developer

Hands‑on technical lead owning both Xbox Series X|S and PS5 platform integration — certification, SDK lifecycle, submission packaging, and crash/stability debugging. Not a management role. They write code daily, own both cert pipelines, and debug on codebases they didn't build.

Must Have:

• 10+ years professional game development
• Minimum 5 years on console (Xbox / PlayStation)
• Shipped at least one title through Xbox certification (XR) — personally owned platform integration and submission
• Shipped at least one title through PlayStation certification (TRC) — personally owned it (doesn't need to be the same title)
• Unity on console — IL2CPP builds, platform‑dependent compilation, Unity Input System, on‑device profiling
• Xbox GDK — MicrosoftGame.config, Submission Validator, Xbox Identity, achievements, PLM (suspend/resume/constrained)
• PS5 SDK — param.json/sfo, Check, Prospero tools, Trophies, save‑data API, system‑language detection
• Experience shipping on codebases they did not build — ports, rescues, takeovers
• Currently coding — if they haven't committed code in the last year, wrong role

Good to Have:

• Worked at a porting/outsourcing earlier
• Unity version migration on console (LTS upgrades, plugin breakage after SDK updates)
• Middleware — Wwise/FMOD, Rewired, analytics SDKs, platform store/social plugins
• PS5 DualSense — haptics, adaptive triggers, controller speaker
• Xbox and PS5 Accessibility guidelines implementation
• On‑device profiling — Razor GPU profiler (PS5), PIX (Xbox)

Preferred Not Mandatory:

• Unreal Engine console experience in addition to Unity
• Multiplayer / online services — PlayFab, Xbox Live, PSN
• PS5 Trinity support configuration
• Experience mentoring junior console developers

Please note: This position is for one of Playdawn's clients, and successful candidates will be hired directly by the client, not by Playdawn.

Our client is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. They are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics. They believe that diversity fuels innovation and creativity, and they strive to create an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to shared success.