Canonical is on the hunt for software engineers to join its ‘Ubuntu Gaming Experience’ team.
That the maker of Ubuntu is looking to fill roles like this is not unexpected, of course. Canonical said it was going “all in” on gaming when it unveiled the Steam Snap app for testing in April, and began scouting for a desktop gaming manager in January.
With another job posting, it seems they really are intent on doing it!
“We are in an exciting time for gaming on Linux. Compatibility tools like Proton have matured and many native Windows titles can be made to work, massively expanding the library of titles available on Linux,” Canonical writes in its job posting.
“Delivering a well rounded gaming experience is about more than just compatibility; it’s about maximising performance across a wide range of hardware, ensuring anti-cheat is robust and secure, making it easy to access tools for content creation, driver management and HUD overlays as well as ensuring game controllers, headsets, RGB keyboards and gaming mice are fully supported and customisable.”
Tl;dr: there’s a lot to do.
Anyone applying for the “Software Engineer” position as listed on the Canonical careers site will need to know their way around the tech integral to modern Linux gaming, e.g., experience in sound, graphics, input, and have some familiarity or interest in OpenGL, Vulcan, MESA, Wine, et al.
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Valve passed on using Ubuntu for SteamOS, the Linux-based distro purring away in the critically-adored Steam Deck console.
Plus, Ubuntu is rarely mentioned by tech influencers, blogs, and YouTubers as the best Linux distro for gaming (but some Ubuntu-based offshoots, such as Pop!_OS, are).
Fact is: Ubuntu just isn’t cool these days.
Canonical (it seems) is sensitive to this. Not only is it once-again investing in the community, with hires, projects, and events (like bringing back the Ubuntu Developer Summit), but also in the maligned desktop, as seen here with gaming but also their broader ambitions for 22.10 and beyond.
If Ubuntu is seen to be great for gaming it’ll be considered good enough for anything else people want to do. A great gaming experience is a major yardstick for performance. Ace that and the rest is easy.
But created a team dedicated to making gaming on Ubuntu better than it is one thing. Creating a team with the talent to make gaming Ubuntu first-class is another.
Got what it takes?
You can learn more over on the Canonical careers website.
Be prepared for what comes next. Canonical’s hiring methods aren’t said to be the most friendly (as a couple of prospective-employees recently divulged in several Reddit threads that went viral). On the upside this position is remote (meaning you can work in your underwear) and there are travel opportunities included.