Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has sadly passed away at the age of 68 | The Midweek Memo #009

Hello 👋

Things have been much more positive in the industry this week, but there has been one extremely sad piece of news related to video games.

It was confirmed last week that Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, has passed away from an acute subdural hematoma. Toriyama's impact on media as a whole was immense, as he created iconic characters for Dragon Quest, Blue Dragon, and Chrono Trigger. He will be sorely missed by many, ourselves included.

Away from that heartbreaking update, Nintendo has confirmed that a second Super Mario Bros. movie will be released in 2026, while Square Enix plans to release a demo for Final Fantasy XVI's PC port next year.

There has also been some big news for Star Wars Jedi fans. Director Stig Asmussen has confirmed the formation of a new studio, Giant Skull, after leaving Respawn/EA last year.

Finally, Epic Games and Apple are still at odds after years of legal rumblings, with Apple recently suspending Epic's developer account. The European Union has confirmed that it is currently investigating the situation.

As you can tell, it’s a big one this week, so let’s get rolling with some hot jobs!

Hot Jobs 🔥

Check out these 10 exciting opportunities across various sectors of gaming:

[1] Lecturer in Esports
🏢 Wiltshire College & University 🇬🇧 Trowbridge 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[2] Social Media Manager (Indie Games) IV
🏢 Infernozilla 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Freelance 🎚️ 1+ year exp

[3] Jr/Sr Level Designer Skating AAA Video Game
🏢 MBS STUDIOS 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Freelance 🎚️ 1+ year exp

[4] Social Media Content Creator
🏢 Esports Awards 🌍 Remote Europe/UK 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[5] U.I. Programmer
🏢 Climax Studios 🇬🇧 Edinburgh 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[6] Software Test Engineer
🏢 Stoic 🇺🇸 Remote USA 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 3+ years exp

[7] Unity/Native Android Developer Support Engineer
🏢 Yodo1 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[8] Community Manager
🏢 Ubisoft 🇺🇸 Cary, NC 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 0+ years exp

[9] Gameplay Programmer
🏢 Climax Studios 🇬🇧 Edinburgh 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp

[10] Tools Programmer: Editor (All Levels)
🏢 Rockstar Games 🇬🇧 Dundee 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 0+ years exp

We’ve posted another 140 brand-new positions since we last landed in your inbox, so if nothing in this list is a good fit for you please be sure to check out the platform. As always, we’re sending you oodles of best wishes!

Big News 📰

🕯️ Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has passed away aged 68

• Akira Toriyama, the legendary manga artist behind Dragon Ball and the art and characters of Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, has passed away at age 68 from a bleed near the brain.
  

• Toriyama's work has had a major cultural impact around the world, with many notable figures in the gaming industry, including Nintendo's Masahiro Sakurai, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, offering glowing tributes via social media.
  

• The artist had several projects in the works at the time of his death, with Bandai Namco creating a video game adaptation of his 2000 manga Sand Land, which arrives in April. His legacy inside and outside of gaming is huge and he certainly won’t be forgotten.

Other News 🗞️

The rest of the news this week has been largely positive—thankfully—with a few big announcements that caught our eye.

Nintendo has confirmed that it will once again collaborate with Illumination to create a second Super Mario Bros. movie, which is set to be released in 2026.

Square Enix has also stated that the PC port of Final Fantasy XVI is nearing completion, with a demo expected to be available within the next year.

Elsewhere, former Star Wars Jedi director Stig Asmussen has announced the formation of a new studio, Giant Skull, which will create a new third-person single-player action-adventure game.

Last but not least, Apple and Epic Games' relationship remains strained following their lengthy legal battle. The European Union is investigating whether Apple violated the Digital Markets Act by suspending Epic's developer account seemingly out of nowhere.

🍄 Nintendo confirms the next Super Mario Bros. movie is coming in 2026

🖥️ Final Fantasy XVI's PC version is nearing the "final stages of optimization”

💀 Star Wars: Jedi Director Stig Asmussen forms new studio, Giant Skull

🍎 The EU is investigating Epic Games’ Apple account ban

Introducing Climax Studios Edinburgh 🇬🇧

Climax, a Keywords Studios subsidiary best known for Assassin's Creed Chronicles and the co-development of many AAA titles, opened a new Edinburgh office in February. We recently caught up with Mark Anthony Hobbs, the new Studio Head, to learn more about his background and the reasons behind the location’s opening.

Mark, who has years of experience in and out of the industry, stated that the Edinburgh venue will focus on co-development, similar to Climax's other locations. It is already on the hunt for engineering staff, particularly those with Unreal Engine experience.

The rest of our interview can be found here, and all current open positions at the developer can be found on Climax's company page. They’re also hiring in Liverpool, London, and Portsmouth, plus remotely in the UK!

Getting Social 📲

Here’s a peek at two of our top LinkedIn posts from the last seven days:

This week's junior-level job roundup includes opportunities in Europe, North America, South America, and even Asia! For the Horde!

Some highlights include Infernozilla and MBS Studios, who are both looking for global remote talent with just one year of experience, while Nintendo of America is on the hunt for early-career localization staff in Washington state.

We're always posting new positions, so feel free to check Hitmarker regularly for more roles at all experience levels. Don’t forget to set those job alerts up using our filters, too, they’re a time saver!

Solo indie developer Tim FitzRandolph's upcoming arcade racer Parking Garage Rally Circuit captured our attention this week thanks to its simplicity of concept and lovely graphics.

The game is designed to look and feel like a Sega Saturn game from 1998, with a strong emphasis on fun and tight controls as you race against the clock in repurposed parking garages.

It will arrive sometime in 2024, and you can follow its progress and add it to your wishlist on Steam.

Peace ✌️

Well, that was a bit of an emotional week, although we did have some small wins, which we appreciate after the general negativity of 2024 so far.

We hope you’ve also enjoyed this week's newsletter and the respite from the “L-word”. We thank you for reading and we’ll see you next Wednesday!

Best wishes from all of us,

Danny and the gang at Hitmarker 🧡