Internship - Mentored Industry Project
About the Project
The Freeblades is a Multiplayer Co-op Dungeon-Adventure RPG set in a gritty, low-fantasy medieval world. Following a great war, an uneasy truce holds, but the lands are plagued by bandits, magical cults, and tribal monsters. Players join the notorious Free Blades Company—a powerful mercenary guild modeled after the historical East India Trading Company —taking on dangerous contracts to bring order to a fractured land, for the right price.
With a dark, realistic tone inspired by Game of Thrones , souls-like combat reminiscent of Elden Ring , and the mercenary fantasy of The Witcher 3. This is a passion project that has been in development for over 8 years. We are now looking for a key team member to help us push towards our alpha release.
About the Role
Tigerroll Studios is offering a unique opportunity for aspiring game developers to gain direct, hands-on experience by contributing to a live commercial game project. Our game, The Freeblades, is a dark fantasy co-op RPG built in Unreal Engine 5 with a development history of over eight years.
Given the current challenges in the games industry, we are committed to providing a structured, mentored environment where new talent can build a standout portfolio piece and earn a real shipping credit. This is a demanding but highly rewarding role for individuals who are serious about their craft.
This is not a traditional internship with a fixed list of daily tasks. Instead, this is a project-based role designed to align with your personal skills and career goals.
After reviewing your application and portfolio, successful candidates will collaborate with the lead developer to define a specific, self-contained project that serves both the needs of the game and your professional development.
Examples of potential projects, by discipline area
--- ART ---
Concept Art: Your role would be to visually define the look and feel of characters, creatures, and environments for our dark fantasy world.
Example Project: "Create a full character design sheet for a new enemy type, 'The Sunken Cultist.' This includes initial sketches, iteration based on feedback, and a final, colored render with callouts for key details."
3D Art (Character/Prop): Your role would be to model and texture assets that bring the world to life.
Example Project: "Create a single, high-quality 'hero prop'—a mythical weapon or a quest-critical artifact. You will take the asset from initial blockout to final, textured model ready for the engine."
Technical Art & Environment Art: Your role would focus on building and optimizing the game world in Unreal Engine 5.
Example Project: "Take an existing in-game level and perform a full optimization and visual polish pass, working with lighting, LODs, and foliage to improve performance and fidelity."
VFX (Visual Effects): Your role would be to design and create magical effects that make combat and exploration feel impactful.
Example Project: "Design and implement a complete set of VFX for a new magic spell, 'Corrupted Grasp.' This includes the casting effect, the projectile, and the impact effect, created using Niagara."
--- DESIGN ---
Game Design (Systems/Level): Your role would be to design the core rules and spaces of the game.
Example Project: "Create the complete paper design for a new dungeon. This includes a top-down map layout, unique trap and puzzle mechanics, and detailed enemy encounter documentation."
Narrative Design & Quest Design: Your role would be to write the stories and build the adventures that players will experience.
Example Project: "Design and write a complete, branching side-quest. This involves creating compelling characters, writing dialogue trees, and outlining quest objectives in a professional design document."
UI/UX Design: Your role would be to design intuitive and visually appealing interfaces for complex RPG systems.
Example Project: "Lead the design for a core game system like the Inventory or Character Sheet, from initial research and wireframes to final high-fidelity mockups in Figma or Photoshop."
--- TECHNICAL ---
Programming (Gameplay/Tools): Your role would be to implement small, self-contained gameplay features or internal tools using Unreal Engine.
Example Project: "Develop a simple 'potion brewing' gameplay mechanic. This involves creating the C++ or Blueprint logic for combining ingredients and producing a new consumable item, complete with basic UI hooks."
Quality Assurance (QA): Your role is a critical one: to find and professionally document issues to ensure the game is as stable and fun as possible. This is a well-known and respected entry route into the industry.
Example Project: "Take 'feature ownership' of a new gameplay system (e.g., a new combat mechanic). This involves creating a formal test plan, executing rigorous testing, and writing clear, professional bug reports in our tracking software."
Who We're Looking For: Core Requirements
This is a serious opportunity for serious applicants. We invest significant mentorship time into each individual and expect a professional level of dedication in return.
Our Commitment: We will provide direct one-on-one mentorship with the project's lead developer, a professional portfolio piece based on a live commercial project, a shipping credit for your CV, and full support for any academic requirements.
Your Commitment: We require a minimum commitment of 10-15 hours per week to ensure meaningful progress. We expect consistent communication, the ability to meet agreed-upon deadlines, a proactive attitude to problem-solving, and a willingness to receive and act on constructive feedback. For current students, we strongly encourage this to be part of a formal work placement agreed upon with your university.
Commitments
Our Commitment: We will provide direct one-on-one mentorship, a professional portfolio piece based on a live commercial project, a shipping credit for your CV, and full support for any academic requirements.
Your Commitment: We expect a professional level of dedication. This means consistent communication, a commitment to quality, and a proactive attitude to problem-solving. For current students, we strongly encourage this to be part of a formal work placement or for-credit module agreed upon with your university..
How to Apply
If you are a motivated, self-starting individual ready for a real-world game development challenge, please apply via our Google Form. The form will ask for your portfolio and allow you to specify your area of interest.