Intermediate PHP Developer (Games) at Kano

The Opportunity:

Kano is looking for a passionate Game Developer to join our classic social text-based RPGs games team, where your dedication, keen eye for detail, and knowledge of software design principles can shine. As a Game Developer, you will play a pivotal role in crafting, enhancing, and evolving our nostalgic clicker-based role-playing games collection. We are actively integrating Artificial Intelligence into our development workflows, and a strong preference will be given to candidates who embrace these tools to drive efficiency and innovation.

What you will be responsible for:

• Collaborate with the development team to design and implement game features and mechanics.
• Develop and maintain complex game logic, backend systems, and server-side functionalities using PHP.
• Actively utilize and experiment with AI tools (Claude, Codex, Cursor, LLMs) to accelerate refactoring, optimize legacy code, and increase development velocity.
• Ensure high-quality code through code reviews, testing, and debugging.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define technical requirements and project milestones.
• Optimize data architecture and performance across both MongoDB and MySQL environments.
• Optimize game performance for various platforms and devices.
• Work closely with the design team to bring their ideas to life in the game.
• Stay updated with industry trends, technologies, and AI-assisted engineering to improve game development processes.

Your background should look something like:

• Minimum 3 years of full-stack experience, and knowledge with PHP, Javascript, HTML, and CSS.
• A proven track record of embracing Artificial Intelligence tools (e.g., Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, LLMs) to enhance your development workflow and code quality.
• Familiar with MongoDB and/or mySQL.
• Strong understanding of object-oriented design principles.
• Solid understanding of web development strategies.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• A passion for game development with excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field

Salary Range:

$85,000 - $102,000 / year

What we offer

• Competitive wages determined by market research
• Uncapped profit share program
• Health, dental and vision benefits
• 3 weeks vacation to start
• Paid holiday shutdown in December
• 12 paid Care Days per year
• Yearly Continuous Improvement allowance
• A results-driven company with a compassionate culture
• Opportunity to work on game projects that are enjoyed by millions of players worldwide!
• Ability to make a difference. Have an idea? Talk directly with leadership about it instead of running through layers of bureaucracy

About Kano

Since inception, Kano has released twelve gaming titles (seven of which are live serviced today), with over 35 million downloads and close to $100M in sales.

Bootstrapped in 2008, and achieving profitability in 2009, Kano continues to grow its team, game portfolio and player base as an independent gaming studio, with hit games like Mob Wars, Idle Distiller and Monster Country.

Canadian owned and full-remote, we believe in giving small teams of talented people challenging problems and getting out of their way. That’s why we look for the best and brightest to join our team; people who have talent, vision, and commitment.