Codename Entertainment is an award-winning, people-first game studio in Victoria, BC. We’re seeking a Lead Technical Developer to guide our flagship title, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms — an officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons strategy game now in its 8th year of live service. This is your chance to lead a team, tackle complex challenges, and grow your career as a technical leader.

ABOUT THE ROLE
As Lead Technical Developer, you’ll be the cornerstone of Idle Champions’ codebase — writing code; implementing features; guiding developers, QA, and player support; and collaborating with our production teams to bring new content to life. This is a hands-on role that blends technical depth with leadership impact.

Technical Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the system architecture, ensuring stability, scalability, and documentation.
• Write and maintain code for core gameplay, systems, and tools, particularly in areas of high complexity or technical risk.
• Prepare and deploy builds in line with our live-service schedule.
• Diagnose and resolve high-impact issues and uphold quality standards.
• Collaborate across teams to scope features, assess design feasibility, and plan implementation that meets technical capabilities.
• Document architectural changes and align the dev team on best practices.
• Ensure player-facing issues are triaged, prioritized, and resolved in collaboration with QA and player support.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Prioritize and assign work to developers, QA, and player support.
• Provide technical oversight to the dev team through code reviews, technical guidance, and upholding coding standards.
• Mentor a team of developers, QA, and player support.

ABOUT YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
We’re looking for a gamer with strong technical skills who’s ready to tackle complex problems and grow into a leadership role. Your coding expertise comes first — and we’ll support you in building leadership experience as you guide the team.

Core Technical Skills

• Strong technical expertise in

• Front-end game client development with Unity & C#
• Back-end development with PHP (or equivalent)
• SQL database interactions (MySQL/PostgreSQL or equivalent)
• Client–server architecture.

• Ability to solve complex problems in an older codebase and optimize legacy systems.
• Innovative mindset that balances design goals, technical constraints, and maintainability.
• Strong time management, balancing polished solutions with production schedules
• Patience and discipline to work through complex challenges and document systems clearly.

Leadership Mindset

• Big-picture thinking, with the ability to turn strategy into actionable tasks.
• Proactive and accountable, with initiative to move work forward and deliver on goals.
• Calm under pressure, especially tackling time-sensitive challenges.
• Collaborative leader who communicates clearly, balances priorities, and fosters a positive work environment.
• Interest in mentoring and supporting others in their growth.
• Player-focused, committed to delivering high-quality experiences.
• Passion for games and a strong understanding of gaming culture.

Bonus Points

• Live ops experience in multi-platform builds, content coordination, and post-launch triage.
• Familiarity with QA and player support workflows.
• Experience leading a team and providing technical mentorship.
• Experience in breaking down and assigning work to ensure timely deliverables.
• Knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons or Idle Champions.

Interested in the opportunity and want to learn more?  Check out our full job ad here:

Job Ad - Lead Technical Developer for Idle Champions

WORK DETAILS

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week (occasional extra hours, offset by reasonable time-in-lieu, may be needed to address live-service needs).

Location: Fully onsite at our office in Victoria, BC (with some WFH flexibility to support personal circumstances)

Salary: $98,000–$115,000/year

Benefits: Comprehensive employer-paid health, dental, and life insurance benefits

Paid-time Off: 3 weeks vacation (increasing to 4 weeks after 1 year), 6 sick days, and 4 personal days, with the ability to carry forward unused time off

Additional Perks: Annual funding for PD & games; mentorship program with industry professionals; people-first work environment!

HOW TO APPLY

E-mail your application to careers@codenameentertainment.com and include:

Cover Letter - telling us about your passion for games & why you’re excited for the role

Resume - highlighting your relevant skills, experience and why you’d be a great fit

Portfolio - showcasing your talents and sharing your best work

This position will remain open until filled, but we will begin reviewing applications on Monday, September 8, 2025.

Excited by the opportunity, but not sure if you’re a good fit? Reach out to us anyways. We love to hear from you as we recognize that the best candidates come with diverse backgrounds and skills.