Risky Move: Apple Looking For iPhone-iTouch Game Engineer

The Web site AppleInsider reported on Friday that Apple is looking to hire an engineer to develop games for its iPhone and iTouch devices.

The actual Apple job posting can be read by clicking here.

In the posting for a "game/media software engineer," Apple said it is looking for a skilled software engineer looking to work with a small team on "interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod Touch." The potential employee has to be flexible and creative.

AppleInsider noted that Apple has to date only developed four apps in-house, including one game, Texas Hold'em.

Games have become one of the biggest categories of iPhone and iTouch applications, which makes it a large potential target of anyone developing iPhone or iTouch apps, including Apple itself.

However, developing its own in-house gaming expertise could disappoint a part of Apple's developer community, many of which are small organizations or individuals, especially if Apple is successful and starts expanding its game development team.

Such an outcome is not a certainty, however. Other gaming device makers like Microsoft have their own in-house development teams. However, the big difference is that developing successful games for devices like the Xbox or PlayStation typically requires a huge investment, one that sometimes rivals the investment to produce a movie.

For the Apple iPhone and iTouch, small companies and individuals can successfully develop games with a lower level of investment, which raises the possibility that a successful in-house Apple team could negatively impact its developer community.