Is Naughty Dog Hiring a PC Programmer for The Last of Us 2?

The rumour mill doesn’t even have to spin that hard on this one. Microsoft has had free reign on the PC for a few years now. Sony has been getting their toes wet in the PC pond, but it’s pretty much inevitable that they’ll be jumping in over the next couple of years.

Naughty Dog is currently hiring a Graphics Programmer for The Last of Us Two. Pretty standard stuff, right? Then why do they need DirectX 12, Vulkan, and other modern API experience? Then why do they also need to know how to use AMD GCN and Nvidia CUDA? Nvidia has squat to do with PlayStation, but everything to do with PC. It doesn’t take a genius beyond that to speculate.

Following rumours that Zero Dawn would be heading to PC, this is just more fuel on an already well-lit fire in my opinion. PlayStation 5 is currently expected to have a reveal in about two weeks time. Sony top-brass have been spotting gathering in the US for the last week, and I suspect their push for PC gaming will tie their brand over until Christmas when we get the new console.

Check out the job posting here.

Join our talented rendering team to develop and implement new and existing rendering techniques for our upcoming game, The Last of Us Part II.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement new and existing rendering techniques
• Implement efficient and stunning industry-defining visuals
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed

Requirements & Skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent work experience
• Strong math skills with an emphasis in 3D math
• Strong knowledge of C and C++ programming languages
• Thorough understanding of current GPU architectures (AMD GCN, NVIDIA CUDA)
• Experience with DirectX12, Vulkan or other modern graphics or compute APIs
• Experience with HLSL/GLSL or other equivalent shader languages
• Console or PC programming experience
• Passion for playing and developing exceptional games

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates should expect to be given a technical interview.