Working Student - Research & Development (all genders)

About the role

<p><strong>About Atari</strong></p> <p>Atari is an interactive entertainment company and an iconic gaming industry brand recognized worldwide for its multi-platform games and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 400 games and franchises, including globally recognized brands such as <em>Asteroids®</em>, <em>Centipede®</em>, <em>Missile Command®</em>, <em>Pong®</em>, and <em>RollerCoaster Tycoon®</em>.</p> <p>The Atari family of brands includes Digital Eclipse, Nightdive Studios, Infogrames, AtariAge, MobyGames, as well as Coatsink, Early Morning Studios, and Stormteller Games—spanning game development, publishing, and community experiences worldwide.</p> <p>Atari operates internationally with offices in New York, Paris, Germany, and India.</p> <p><strong>Overview</strong></p> <p>As an R&amp;D Intern on the Strategic Projects team, you'll investigate emerging technologies, build rapid prototypes, and help Atari leadership decide where to place strategic bets.</p> <p>This is not a "make slides about trends" role. You will be expected to build things: prototypes, teardowns, working demos, and decision-ready writeups.</p> <p>You should be comfortable with ambiguity, limited structure, and fast-changing priorities. Startup or scale-up experience is a bonus.</p> <p><strong>What You’ll Do</strong></p> <ul> <li>Evaluate emerging tech relevant to Atari's portfolio, including AI/ML in games, new engines, distribution platforms, emulation tech, modding ecosystems, and retro-tech revivals, and write sharp teardowns with a recommendation.</li> <li>Build quick proofs-of-concept with working code, not mockups, to stress-test whether strategic ideas are feasible and worth pursuing before we commit serious resources.</li> <li>Track the indie, experimental, and retro gaming landscape for tools, trends, and IP opportunities worth Atari's attention.</li> <li>Synthesize findings into briefings that an executive can act on in 10 minutes — no fluff, no jargon padding.</li> <li>Run small experiments end-to-end: define the hypothesis, build the test, report the result, and recommend the next step.</li> <li>Translate prototype results into clear recommendations: pursue, park, test further, or stop.</li> <li>Use AI coding tools and workflow automation tools to move faster, while still understanding what you are building.</li> <li>Work with non-technical stakeholders and explain technical findings clearly.</li> <li>Push back on bad ideas when the data says so.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Requirements &amp; Qualifications</strong></p> <ul> <li>Currently enrolled student in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field.</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to learn unfamiliar tools fast and ship working code — show us with a portfolio, GitHub, side projects, or shipped work.</li> <li>Hands-on coding experience with Python, TypeScript, Node.js, and/or Java or similar programming languages</li> <li>Confident working with GitHub and other development workflows.</li> <li>Experience with AI coding tools and workflow automations.</li> <li>Able to quickly learn unfamiliar frameworks, APIs, SDKs, or technical environments.</li> <li>Fluent in English, both written and spoken.</li> <li>Strong communication skills, including in-person communication and the ability to explain technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders.</li> <li>Self-directed: you'll be given problems, not solutions, and expected to figure out the approach.</li> <li>Comfortable working with ambiguity, limited structure, and changing priorities.</li> <li>Comfortable pushing back, challenging assumptions, and rethinking ideas when evidence points elsewhere.</li> <li>Ability to be onsite in Münster on a hybrid schedule.</li> <li>Must be eligible to work in Germany.</li> <li>Based in Münster or the surrounding area.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred / Nice-to-Have</strong></p> <ul> <li>Prior internship, hackathon record, or shipped side projects involving

Skills