Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games, is highly preferred by game developers for its exciting features. With the help of coding, unreal engine developers create awe-inspiring games offering players an interactive and engaging gaming experience.
This article explains the duties of an unreal engine developer, their salary, and how to hire an unreal engine developer. Let us get started.
What Is an Unreal Engine? Who Is An Unreal Engine Developer?
Unreal Engine is a game development engine that is used to create interactive and real-time 3D experiences in video games. It is very popular among game developers due to its wide range of features and its free version. Those who work with Unreal Engine and create interactive and real-time games with the help of coding languages like C++, Python, and Lua are Unreal Engine Developers.
What Are The Duties Of Unreal Engine Developers?
Unreal Engine developers perform a set of tasks which include,
- Coding the game using programming languages like C++, Python, and Blueprints to integrate the game mechanics, level design, animations, and other game features.
- Using graphics and special effects such as particle effects, etc., to enhance the visual quality of the game.
- Some are even responsible for creating 3D models and animations for the game.
- Implementing physics and simulation in the game.
- Creating user interfaces and optimizing them for better user experience.
- Working with AI systems to enhance the way NPCs and other game elements fit in the game.
What is the Salary of Unreal Engine Developer?
The average salary of unreal engine developers differs based on the country. Moreover, the skill, and experience also play a determining factor in the salary of Unreal Engine Developer.
Here, we have given the average salary of unreal engine developers in different countries.
- USA: $ 75,000 – $ 1,30,000
- Canada: $ 60,000 – $ 95,000
- UK: £ 35,000 – £ 55,000
- Germany: € 40,000 – € 85,000
- Australia: $ 80,000 – $ 1,00,000
- India: ₹ 8,00,000 – ₹ 12,00,000
Things To Consider Before Hiring An Unreal Engine Developer
When you are hiring an unreal engine developer there are certain factors you need to consider like “What is their experience?”, “What is their specialization?”, etc., If you are clear with these factors, it will help you hire a better-suited person for the project.
Though there are many important aspects to consider, we have given some of the most important ones you need to consider before hiring an unreal engine developer.
Project Requirements
The first course of action would be to clearly define your project requirements including the scope and objectives of the project. An unreal engine developer is responsible for implementing game mechanics and gameplay features, optimizing the game performance, and ensuring the overall quality of the game.
Experience
Depending on the requirements of your unreal game development project, you need to hire a game developer. If it is a complicated project then you need to hire a senior developer. If not you can go for mid-level or junior developer. You also need to be clear if you are ready to hire a fresher for your project. And if you hire, will you be able to train them and other similar concerns?
Skill Set
An unreal game developer comes with multiple skills including programming in scripting languages like C++, knowledge of blueprints, earlier experience working with unreal engine, and user interface features including menus, options, etc., Additional knowledge of programming languages like Python, Lua will be an added advantage for the project.
Salary Expectation
Salary expectations should be discussed in the earlier stage of the hiring process including the payment model (which may be fixed or hourly rate or both) you follow. So there are no concerns in the future regarding salary. If required you might also need to be ready to negotiate the salary.
Problem-Solving Ability
Without having to say, it is one of the most important qualities of an unreal engine developer. They should be capable of fixing problems and handling complications during the course of the project if there are any. So, while hiring you might need to inquire if they have handled such situations and how they handled it.
How To Hire A Unreal Engine Developer?
There are three ways you can hire an unreal engine developer. You can hire a full-time employee, contract to hire, or freelance developer.
- A Full-time employee is an individual hired permanently by the company to work on their projects.
- Contract to hire is hiring an individual developer or a team to handle the projects for a fixed period of time or a project(s).
- A Freelance developer is one who independently works on a project-to-project basis.
Where Can You Hire An Unreal Engine Developer?
As mentioned above, you can hire unreal developers in three ways. Here we have mentioned some of the sites where you can find unreal engine developers.
For hiring full-time employees or contract developers you can go for the following sites
- Company Website
- Indeed
- Glassdoor
- SimplyHired
- Angel List
- GitHub
For hiring freelance developers, you can check out the following sites.
- Upwork
- Freelancer
- Toptal
- Fiverr
- Hired
Regardless of the above mentioned sites, there are other places like social media sites, college websites, and networking events, where you can hire unreal engine developers. You can even opt for game outsourcing services from game development companies.
Conclusion
When it comes to hiring an unreal engine developer, you would need to consider certain factors including technical expertise, programming skills, knowledge of blueprints, and game optimization among others. Moreover, you need to take into consideration a specific set of skills, when you are hiring for a particular project. And there are many best hiring sites where you can hire the game developer of your likeness.