ZeniMax opening new MD studio

ZeniMax (parent company of Bethesda Softworks) is opening a new studio in Hunt Valley, MD, ZeniMax online. New studio means lots of new hires, as their job listing page shows.

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New Maryland game company Zenimax Online Studios is hiring

ZeniMax Media (Rockville MD) is setting up a new game development company ZeniMax Online Studios. This will be a new separate game development company devoted to MMO game creations.

“ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of Bethesda Softworks, announced today the creation of ZeniMax Online Studios. The division will be headed by Matt Firor, a well-known expert in the field of online gaming, and will focus on the Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) market segment.” (link)

Firor was formerly the Executive Producer at Mythic Entertainment

This Wednesday, September 19th, ZeniMax Online Studios will hold a career fair from 11:00am to 8:00pm at the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley (245 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley). They are interviewing for all positions, including game designers, programmers, artists, animators, content specialists and producers. See the job listings page for a detailed list of position.

In a recent interview Matt Firor said:

“Right now my number one priority is to assemble the best MMO team possible, and this will take most of my time and energy over the next year. It doesn’t matter how good an idea you have for a game if you don’t have a team that can execute it.” (link)

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Maryland: East Coast Hub For Gaming

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development has published a a new directory that lists dozens of companies and facilities in Maryland focused on Modeling and simulation. These include companies that develop and publish games as well as others that develop products and services that use the same technology for non-game applications. See the full 2007 Maryland MODSIM Modeling and simulation Directory for a complete list of companies and organizations.

The introduction asks “Why Maryland?” and offers these points in answer.

• East Coast Hub For Gaming

  Maryland has one of the largest clusters of Modeling and Simulation (Mod-Sim) companies and facilities on the East Coast which provides great opportunities for growth and talent.

• Core to the rapidly growing medical modeling and simulation (MM&S) and serious gaming segments

  Maryland is the largest regional cluster of MM&S and Serious Gaming companies as well the home for The Games for Health conferences.

• Access to market and technology

  
  Maryland offers a concentration of Mod-Sim and MM&S companies and a proximity to over 50 federal agencies and associated research facilities that have Modeling and Simulation technology as their specific focus.

• Access to a knowledge workforce and research

  Maryland provides immediate access to top universities producing the knowledge workforce of today and tomorrow as well as cutting edge research.

• Technology transfer opportunities

  A wealth of untapped technology transfer opportunities exist for cutting edge companies involved in Mod-Sim, 2D and 3D animation, Digital Production, Digital Design, Interactive Technology, MM&S, and emerging applications.

• A cluster of affinity organizations to promote the Mod-Sim market place

  This includes the Maryland Modeling and Simulation Analysis Council (MMSAC), Games for Health Initiative, and the Advanced Initiative in Medical Simulation.

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Gamedevmap shows game companies worldwide

gamedevmap is a “living map and catalog of game development organizations.” It shows hundreds of companies world-wide and has both a map and query interface. You can

• Click on a colored dot on the map to search for all the companies and organizations in that location.
• Type a company, city, country, or region name into the search area and press the search button to find more specific data.
• Click on a category below the search bar to quickly see all the companies that fall under that category.

They describe their criteria for entries as

“Publishers, development studios with a staff of five or more, studios with previously published games, and studios under contract with a publisher are listed. Middleware companies, service providers, and schools are not currently being tracked. gamedevmap does not track individual talent, consultants, or mod groups.”

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Microsoft seeks a UMBC ’student partner’ for 2007-08

Microsoft seeks applicants from UMBC students for a position as their technology representative at UMBC for the 2007-08 academic year. This is a paid position with a commitment of 6-8 hours a week. See the 2007-08 Microsoft Student Partners Program flyer for more information.

“The Student Partners Program is an elite job opportunity offered to technology-enthusiastic students. Individuals that take part in this Microsoft student representative program understand and are passionate about Microsoft technologies and platforms. Traditionally these representatives major in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, and Information Technology, but all majors are welcome to apply. Participating students share their knowledge and influence others by organizing a number of on-campus activities including technical presentations, and by increasing product awareness on campus. During the one-year commitment students will help plan, organize and execute launch events, tech-talks and other activities. Student Partners will become the voice of Microsoft on campus; they will be expected to interact with their peers as well as faculty and assist students with use of Microsoft technologies. Time commitment ranges from 6-8 hours/week from September 1st through May 31st (school breaks excluded).The program provides the student with all the tools, materials, and support needed to be successful.”

Students must be registered at UMBC but no specific major or degree program is required. Preference will be given to sophomores and juniors, and members of campus or online user groups. Students must have valid identification and be eligible to work in the US for Volt Group Services from 1 September 2007 through 31 May 2008.

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