About Kitfox Games
What is Kitfox Games?
Kitfox Games is an independent game studio in Montreal, Canada, founded in 2013 by Tanya X. Short and Xin Ran Liu. The studio develops and publishes "intriguing worlds for players to explore" with a portfolio that ranges from in-house originals (Boyfriend Dungeon, Streets of Fortuna, Moon Hunters, Lucifer Within Us, Shattered Planet) to published titles by other indie developers (Dwarf Fortress by Bay 12 Games, Caves of Qud by Freehold Games, Ostranauts by Blue Bottle Games, Pupperazzi by Sundae Month, the Six Ages series by A Sharp).
Recent and upcoming projects include Streets of Fortuna (a free-roaming sandbox game about growing from street rat to leader), Thousand Hells (a tactical narrative game from A Sharp blending mythology and surrealism), and continued support for the breakthrough Dwarf Fortress Steam release. The studio also published the original Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind and the recent Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out.
Kitfox's earliest support came from Execution Labs ("supported us before anyone else, and are almost entirely responsible for the existence of Kitfox Games"), with later financing from the Canada Media Fund (Moon Hunters) and Unity Technologies as a platform partner.
Where will I work?
The studio is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Remote work is available, though in-office presence in Montreal is required for meetings. New hires moving to Montreal can take advantage of relocation credits during the 3-month probation period.
What is the Kitfox team like?
Co-founders Tanya X. Short and Xin Ran Liu run the studio alongside an 11-person team currently named publicly: Marcelo Perez, Alex Bull, Mehrdad Dehdashti, Thea Kent, Alexandra Orlando, Brent Ellison, Tina Liu, Quinn Viau, Charly Yan Miller, David Rusak, and Julia Perdigueiro.
Four stated values guide the studio:
- Professional Artisans — "We value one another as creative professionals, each with our own expertise and contributions. We extend this respect to our players, who enjoy the fruit of our labors."
- Always Learning — "We are eager to learn from those around us, and improve our skills, knowledge, and performance. There is no such thing as having nothing left to learn."
- Courageously Creative — "As creators and craftspeople we make games that bring us pride, which requires taking risks."
- Pursuing Mastery — "We strive to make our games the best they can be, in every aspect: visually, technically, ethically, and experientially."
Work-Life Balance
Kitfox Games has operated on a 4-day work week since June 2021 — the studio adopted the model in the run-up to the Boyfriend Dungeon launch in August 2021 and has kept it. The published policy: "Four day scheduled work week, with one additional paid day reserved for self-improvement. Core hours required Monday through Thursday, Eastern Time." Staff work 32 hours per week at full pay.
The Friday self-improvement day is paid time dedicated to learning, exploration, and personal growth — Kitfox treats it as essential to the studio's "Always Learning" value. The job posting explicitly states: "Overtime is heavily discouraged and rarely used."
Perks and Benefits
- 4-day work week (Mon-Thu core hours, ET) + one additional paid day for self-improvement
- 32 hours per week at full pay; overtime heavily discouraged
- Transparent, experience-based pay — raises guaranteed for first 6 years to a current potential maximum of $156k CAD
- Salary banding example — Game Programmer at $77-95k CAD full-time
- Group health insurance — including vision, dental, and (small amounts of) therapy coverage
- Minimum 4 weeks vacation per year + plenty of sick days
- Training and wellness credits
- Remote work available — with in-office Montreal presence required for meetings
- Relocation credits for new hires moving to Montreal during 3-month probation
- Studio publishes transparent salary bands publicly in job listings