Here’s your chance to go from Pokémon fan to Pokémon pro.

Most casual Pokémon fans will tell you that the franchise’s video games are made by Nintendo. After all, the company’s name is right there on the box, and with the exception of a few smartphone titles, the Pokémon series is exclusive to Nintendo hardware.

But the truth is that Pokémon isn’t designed and created at Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto, but inside the whimsically named Carrot Tower in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, at the offices of software developer called Game Freak. Game Freak’s existence is pretty easy to overlook, since it’s a relatively small company with a very cozy tie-up with Nintendo (who publishes the Pokémon games after Game Freak creates them), which acts as publisher for the Pokémon games, but like a Charmander evolving into Charmeleon, Game Freak is looking to grow and is currently hiring for a huge variety of positions.

Game Freak wants to hire graphic designers in eight different categories, as well as multiple classes of programmers, game planners, and technical assistants. In addition, it’s seeking build engineers, tool programmers, information system personnel, and even people to work in its human resources department, with the total number of job openings being 23. And while many Japanese companies primarily recruit only brand-new graduates, Game Freak is specifically looking for experienced mid-career applicants.

In describing the company culture, Game Freak’s recruiting notice says its jobs are a god match for people who:
● People with an uncompromising focus on fun as the goal of game development
● People who want to work at creating “play”
● People with a strong interest in game development
● People who are active communicators and can work smoothly with others

If those sound like they’re describing you, applications for online interviews can be submitted here through Japanese job-hunting site Creative Village. As a Japanese company, business-level Japanese language skills are likely an unspoken requirement, but in a world where the latest AAA Zelda game had a foreign designer, there’s no reason why a non-Japanese applicant can’t get hired at Game Freak, and then experience first-hand the frustration of having to tell your relatives that no, you can’t get them a discount on Nintendo hardware.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert image: Creative Village
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