Indie Studio: Studio Zubio
Project: Bunderkin: The Ocular Eclipse
Position: Unreal Gameplay Developer – Gameplay, Quest & Interaction Systems
Compensation: $20–$30 USD/hour, based on experience
Additional Compensation: Tier-Based Profit-Sharing Bonus Plan
Type: Paid Contract Position
Skillset(s) Required:
Unreal Engine Gameplay Programming – C++, Blueprints, Gameplay Systems, Quests, Events & UI
We’re looking for an experienced Unreal Engine gameplay developer to help build the interactive systems that bring Bunderkin: The Ocular Eclipse to life!
Bunderkin is a stylized, character-driven stealth action-adventure game filled with quirky characters, mysterious events, puzzles, disguises, weapons, gadgets, and time-loop mechanics.
We’re building a world where characters follow schedules, events unfold at specific times, quests interact with one another, and player decisions influence how the adventure progresses.
We need someone who enjoys connecting gameplay systems, building flexible tools, and turning complex design ideas into reliable, intuitive gameplay experiences.
Development responsibilities will include:
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Quest & Mission Systems: Quest tracking, objectives, progression, branching conditions, mission states, and completion logic.
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Events & Story Triggers: Scripted events, environmental triggers, conditional interactions, timed sequences, and story progression.
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Inventory & Item Systems: Item pickups, equipment, usable items, collectibles, inventory management, and item interactions.
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Weapons & Gadgets: Implementing and refining gameplay tools such as slingshots, projectiles, smoke bombs, fireworks, distractions, and other interactive equipment.
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NPC Interactions: Dialogue initiation, contextual interactions, NPC states, conversation conditions, and gameplay-driven character responses.
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Dialogue Systems: Dialogue trees, branching conversations, dialogue conditions, localization support, and integration with character animations and voiceover.
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UI & Menus: Inventory screens, quest journals, interaction prompts, HUD elements, pause menus, settings, and other gameplay interfaces.
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Mini-Map & Navigation: Mini-map systems, objective indicators, location markers, player tracking, and navigation feedback.
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Visual Buoys & Gameplay Indicators: In-world markers, interaction highlights, contextual prompts, waypoint indicators, and other visual systems that help players understand their surroundings.
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Cutscenes & Cinematics: Unreal Sequencer integration, gameplay-to-cinematic transitions, scripted character actions, and event-driven cutscenes.
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Time-Based Gameplay: Systems supporting NPC schedules, timed events, quest states, and interactions with Bunderkin’s time-loop mechanics.
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Gameplay Tools: Reusable Blueprint components, data-driven systems, and editor tools that allow designers to create and modify gameplay content efficiently.
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Save & Load Integration: Ensuring quests, inventory, events, and story progression interact correctly with the game’s persistence and time-loop systems.
Experience we’re looking for:
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Strong Unreal Engine 5 development experience using both C++ and Blueprints.
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Experience developing modular, reusable gameplay systems.
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Familiarity with quest, mission, event, and objective tracking systems.
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Experience with Unreal UMG, widgets, and gameplay UI implementation.
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Experience building inventory, item, weapon, and interaction systems.
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Understanding of Blueprint Interfaces, Event Dispatchers, Gameplay Tags, and data-driven architecture.
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Experience implementing mini-maps, waypoints, navigation markers, and gameplay indicators.
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Experience integrating dialogue, NPC interactions, and scripted gameplay events.
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Familiarity with Unreal Sequencer and cinematic event integration.
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Strong debugging, optimization, and problem-solving skills.
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Ability to collaborate with designers, artists, writers, and other gameplay developers.
Bonus Skills:
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Experience developing narrative-driven adventure games, RPGs, or immersive sims.
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Familiarity with branching dialogue and narrative scripting tools.
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Experience implementing NPC schedules and time-dependent world events.
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Experience with time-loop mechanics or complex game-state persistence.
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Experience creating designer-friendly tools and workflows.
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Familiarity with Unreal’s Gameplay Ability System (GAS).
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Experience with localization-ready dialogue and UI systems.
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Experience implementing stealth gadgets, projectile systems, and environmental distractions.
Previous Work:
Bunderkin: The Ocular Eclipse
A colorful, character-driven stealth action-adventure featuring exploration, disguises, puzzles, advanced traversal, and time-loop mechanics.
Our project recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $283,000 from our community.
We have an established development team, a playable demo on Steam, and a two-year production roadmap.
Portfolio / Project:
Studio: https://studiozubio.com
Steam: Bunderkin: The Ocular Eclipse on Steam
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/studiozubio/bunderkin-the-ocular-eclipse
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bunderkin
Compensation & Profit Sharing:
This is a paid contract position offering $20–$30 USD per hour, depending on experience and qualifications.
We’re a small independent studio working within an indie budget, but we’re committed to building something special and rewarding the people who help make it happen.
In addition to hourly compensation, qualifying contributors are eligible to participate in Bunderkin’s tier-based profit-sharing bonus plan.
We’ve established a bonus pool equal to 10% of the game’s distributable profits, shared among eligible development contributors.
Individual bonus allocations are determined by approved project hours and assigned contribution tiers. Higher-responsibility roles receive higher point multipliers.
Profit-sharing distributions are contingent upon the game’s profitability, recovery of applicable development costs, and the terms of the bonus plan. They are not guaranteed.
We want the talented people helping us build Bunderkin to have an opportunity to share in its commercial success.
Contact:
Email: scandell@studiozubio.com
Please include your résumé, relevant portfolio or gameplay footage, and examples of Unreal Engine gameplay systems you’ve developed.
We’re particularly interested in seeing quest systems, inventory interfaces, weapon mechanics, dialogue implementations, scripted events, mini-maps, UI systems, and other interactive gameplay features.
Additional Information:
We’re a small, independent development studio creating a handcrafted, character-driven adventure.
You’ll work closely with our gameplay designer, systems developer, artists, animators, and narrative team to build and integrate the systems that make Bunderkin’s world feel alive.
We already have a playable demo and established gameplay foundations. Your work will involve improving existing systems, expanding their capabilities, and developing new features for the full game.
We’re looking for a developer who enjoys solving complex gameplay challenges, building elegant reusable systems, and collaborating with a small team of passionate creators.
Bunderkin is a world full of secrets, surprises, and unusual characters. We need someone who can help make all those moving pieces work together!