Hire the Best RPG (OS/400) Specialists

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Batuhan O.

Unity Developer | Multiplayer, Steam & Bug Finding - Fixing

Ankara, Turkey
$5 per hour
5 jobs
$200+ total earnings

I’m a Unity developer working on commercial PC games for Steam. I developed and released diffiCULT, a 4–12 player multiplayer social deduction game. I’m also currently developing Project: Scream, a motel management horror simulation game in Unity. Through these projects, I have gained hands-on experience with Unity, C#, multiplayer gameplay, gameplay systems, debugging, UI implementation, Steam build workflows, playtesting, and improving games based on player feedback. I can help with: • Fixing Unity bugs and build errors • Implementing gameplay mechanics and interaction systems • Multiplayer and networking features • UI and existing asset integration • Preparing Windows and Steam builds • Game testing, bug reporting, and release-readiness checks As both a developer and a game tester, I can evaluate technical issues as well as the overall player experience. I provide clear progress updates, document completed work, and test changes before delivery. If you have a Unity project that needs fixing, finishing, testing, or preparing for release, feel free to send me the details.

Himanshu B.

Unity Developer| Games | VR/AR | Mobile | PC | Unreal | 2D|3D Game Art

Mohali, India
$30 per hour
185 jobs
$200K+ total earnings

🎮 Unity | Unreal | HTML5 | Game Developer 2D-3D | Mobile | PC| Web & AR | VR | Unity | Unreal Expert | 200+ successful projects delivered. Clients across USA, Europe & Middle East all around the globe. 8+ years of extensive experience in turning ideas into real, playable, and immersive digital experiences. Let's Meet and Collaborate. I don't just write code. I design, build, and ship complete interactive experiences — from a hyper-casual mobile game to a full AR/VR training simulation. If you need a developer who gets it done — on time, on brief, and with zero hand-holding needed — you're in the right place. 🕹️ GAME DEVELOPMENT Whether it's a simple casual game or a complex multiplayer RPG, I handle the complete development cycle — from Game Design Document to final store submission. 🎯 Hyper-Casual & Casual Mobile Games (Android/iOS) 👾 RPG, Multiplayer & FPS Games 🧒 Kids & Educational Games 🌐 HTML5 / WebGL Browser Games 🖥️ PC Games (Windows/Mac) 🥽 AR/VR Games & Immersive Experiences 🧩 Puzzle, Arcade & Adventure Games 🏎️ Racing & Action Games Tech: Unity 2D/3D · Unreal Engine · WebGL · Photon/Mirror Multiplayer · ARCore/ARKit · Oculus/SteamVR 🔧 UNITY DEVELOPMENT — BEYOND GAMING Unity isn't just for games — and I use it to its full potential across industries. 📚 E-Learning & Educational Apps — Interactive lessons, gamified learning modules, and training platforms built in Unity 🧪 Simulations & Training Apps — Industrial simulations, onboarding tools, and skill-based training experiences for enterprises 🏗️ Interactive Walkthroughs — Real estate and architectural 360° experiences 📲 Interactive Mobile Apps — Engaging non-gaming apps with Unity's powerful real-time engine 🔁 MY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 📋 Discovery & GDD — Understanding your vision and documenting the full game plan 🎨 Design & Prototyping — Wireframes, art style, and playable prototype ⚙️ Development — Clean, scalable code with regular milestone updates 🐛 QA & Testing — Thorough bug fixing, performance optimization, device testing 🚀 Launch & Publishing — Store submission, ASO basics, and post-launch support 🔧 Ongoing Support — Updates, new features, and long-term partnership ✅ WHY 200+ CLIENTS KEEP COMING BACK 🔁 End-to-end ownership — I treat your project like my own product 💬 Clear, proactive communication — no ghosting, no surprises ⏱️ Deadline-driven delivery — milestones tracked and met consistently 🔍 Detail-oriented with obsessive QA & testing 📈 Agile approach — fast iterations and course corrections 🤝 Long-term partnerships — many clients have worked with me 5+ times 🔧 Post-launch support & continuous optimization ⭐ WHAT CLIENTS SAY "Excellent communication, timely delivery, technical understanding, and detail-oriented approach made it an enjoyable experience. Highly recommended." — Verified Upwork Client, USA "Very responsive, fast delivery, and outstanding quality. This was our 5th project together and definitely not the last." — Repeat Client, Europe 🌟 ABOUT ME I'm Himanshu — founder of Virtualize Technologies, a game development and interactive tech studio based in India. We've spent 8 years building games, simulations, AR/VR experiences, and immersive apps for clients across the globe. I started in a single room with a vision to build world-class games from India. Today, we're a full team of developers, designers, and animators — delivering end-to-end solutions that compete with the best studios worldwide. When you hire me, you're not getting a solo freelancer. You're getting a dedicated team with proven systems, deep expertise, and a genuine passion for building things that players love. 📩 Have a game idea or interactive project in mind? Message me today — let's build something extraordinary together.

Ihor B.

Senior Unity Game Developer | Mobile, PC, Web & AR/VR

Odesa, Ukraine
$30 per hour
49 jobs
$60K+ total earnings

I am a Senior Unity Game Developer with 12 years of professional experience, building, improving, and scaling games for Mobile, PC, WebGL, AR, and VR. 👑 70+ projects delivered 👑 20,000+ hours of Unity development 👑 Delivered games reaching 5M+, 1M+, and 500K+ downloads I can take your project from an idea or MVP to a polished release, or join an existing Unity project to solve technical problems, improve its architecture, and complete challenging features. I CAN HELP YOU WITH: 🎮 Game Design: game mechanics, balance, level design, economy, monetization, and player engagement 🎨 2D Art & UI/UX: concept art, characters, environments, and intuitive user interfaces 🛠️ 3D Art & Modeling: characters, props, environments, stylized and realistic assets ✨ Animation: character animation, VFX, and smooth in-game motion 💻 Programming: Unity and C# development for Mobile, PC, macOS, WebGL, AR, and VR 🐞 QA & Testing: automated and manual testing, unit tests, and CI/CD pipelines RECENT SUCCESS STORIES: 🏆 Love Water: helped develop and support a Unity mobile puzzle game that reached 5M+ downloads 🏆 Pickatale: delivered an MVP that helped the client secure $1M in funding 🏆 Cyberunity: Biogenesis: completed a challenging PvP mode after two senior developers had been unable to deliver it 🏆 Virtual Shooting Range: developed a Unity training simulator that helped the client secure contracts with the Ukrainian Army 🏆 Motorcycle Racing Simulator: contributed to a Unity mobile racing game that reached 1M+ downloads WHY CHOOSE ME? ➡️ Strong focus on quality, deadlines, performance, and player experience ➡️ Deep understanding of Unity architecture, game mechanics, multiplayer, monetization, and retention ➡️ Experience across Mobile, PC, WebGL, AR, and VR platforms ➡️ Full ownership from planning and estimation to release and updates ➡️ Clear communication, realistic estimates, flexibility, and transparency TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE: I primarily work with Unity and C#. I have used Zenject and StrangeIoC to build scalable project architecture, and Photon, sockets, PlayFab, Firebase, and REST APIs for multiplayer and backend functionality. I have implemented in-app purchases, advertising, analytics, authentication, cloud saves, push notifications, deep links, and integrations with AdMob, Unity Ads, Facebook SDK, Google APIs, Apple APIs, Amplitude, and Sentry. My experience also includes URP, HDRP, Addressables, AssetBundles, Spine 2D, DragonBones, AR Foundation, Vuforia, WebGL optimization, unit tests, GameDriver, and CI/CD pipelines. 💬 Have an idea, an existing Unity project, or a difficult technical problem? Send me a message and let’s discuss how I can help.

Victoria S.

Senior Unity Developer & 2D/3D Games | Game Development Expert

Dnipro, Ukraine
$20 per hour
138 jobs
$200K+ total earnings

5+ years of hands-on Unity development experience | C# | Mobile, PC, WebGL, and Multiplayer Hi! I’m Victoria, a Unity developer with experience creating games and interactive projects for mobile devices, PC, and browsers. I work with projects at different stages, from an initial idea, prototype, or MVP to full development, optimization, and release preparation. I can also join an existing project, work with the current codebase, implement new features, solve technical issues, and help move the product to the next stage. I can handle a specific task, join your existing team, or help develop a project from the ground up. WHAT I CAN HELP WITH: UNITY GAME DEVELOPMENT Development of gameplay logic, mechanics, and systems, software architecture, UI implementation, SDK setup, and third-party service integrations. PROTOTYPES AND MVPs Quickly turning an idea or individual mechanic into a working prototype. This makes it possible to test the concept, core gameplay loop, and technical implementation before moving into full production. MOBILE GAMES Development for Android and iOS, adaptation for different devices, analytics and monetization integrations, in-app purchases, and preparation for release on Google Play and the App Store. PC GAMES Gameplay logic and systems, third-party service integrations, optimization, and technical support for Windows and macOS projects. WEBGL AND BROWSER-BASED PROJECTS Development of browser games and interactive experiences with careful consideration of WebGL performance, loading times, memory usage, and browser compatibility. EXISTING PROJECT SUPPORT I can join an existing project, review and work with the current codebase, implement new features, refactor systems, fix issues, and help prepare the game for release. BUG FIXING AND OPTIMIZATION Finding and fixing bugs, crashes, memory leaks, FPS drops, long loading times, and other issues that affect the project’s stability and performance. MULTIPLAYER Development of networked mechanics and multiplayer functionality using Photon, Unity Netcode, Firebase, REST APIs, WebSockets, and other suitable solutions. PLAYABLE ADS Development of interactive playable ads for advertising networks, taking into account file size, performance, and loading-time requirements. TECHNOLOGIES Core stack: • Unity and C# • Zenject, UniTask, DOTween, and Scriptable Objects • Addressables and UI Toolkit • Shader Graph, VFX Graph, and Particle System • FMOD • GitHub and Bitbucket Backend, multiplayer, and integrations: • Photon and Unity Netcode • Firebase Authentication • Firebase Realtime Database and Firestore • PlayFab • REST APIs and WebSockets • Third-party SDK integrations Monetization and analytics: • AdMob • Appodeal • ironSource • In-App Purchases • GameAnalytics I work with Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and WebGL. I can also assist with preparing and publishing projects on Google Play and the App Store. ADDITIONAL SERVICES Game development often requires more than programming. When needed, I can involve trusted specialists from my team in the following areas: • UI/UX design • Game design • 2D and 3D art • Animation • VFX • QA and testing • Backend development • Additional development support You have one main point of contact while also gaining access to specialists who can cover the project’s other requirements. I can work independently, join an existing development team, or take responsibility for a larger part of the development process. If you already have a project, feel free to send me the current build, repository, requirements, or simply tell me what you would like to create. I’ll review the materials, and together we can determine the most suitable way to approach it.

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What does an RPG (OS/400) specialist do?

An RPG (OS/400) specialist writes, compiles, and debugs business application code for the IBM i operating system. This developer maintains legacy systems by updating source members in RPG IV format and converting older procedural logic into modern Integrated Language Environment structures. They use specific IBM i commands to turn source code into executable program objects that run on midrange servers. Their work keeps critical enterprise data processing tasks running without interruption.

  • Authors and updates RPG IV source members using an integrated development environment such as IBM Rational Developer for i. The specialist edits code directly within the IDE to add new business logic or fix existing errors in the application flow. This process involves writing clean, structured code that follows current ILE standards rather than outdated fixed-format styles. Each change is saved as a distinct source member ready for compilation into the target library.
  • Compiles RPG source code into executable program objects and modules using native IBM i commands like CRTBNDRPG or CRTSQLRPGI. The specialist reviews compiler listings and diagnostic outputs to identify syntax errors or warning messages before promoting the code. They resolve these issues by adjusting the source code and recompiling until the build succeeds without critical errors. This step ensures the resulting object runs correctly within the specific version of the operating system.
  • Debugs runtime errors and logic faults in IBM i applications using the integrated debugger tools within RDi. The specialist sets breakpoints, inspects variable values, and steps through code execution to find the root cause of a failure. They apply fixes to the source code and retest the application to confirm the issue is resolved. This workflow minimizes downtime for users who depend on these backend systems for daily operations.
  • Modernizes legacy RPG and Cobol applications by refactoring old code into modular, maintainable structures. The specialist analyzes existing programs to understand their function and then rewrites them using contemporary language features. This work improves performance and makes future updates easier for other developers to handle. It also helps organizations reduce technical debt associated with aging software architectures.

How to hire an RPG (OS/400) specialist on Upwork

Step 1: Post a job

Define your IBM i modernization or maintenance needs clearly to attract qualified candidates. Use the Job Post Generator powered by Uma™, Upwork's Mindful AI to draft a precise description in seconds. Describe your requirements in a few sentences and Uma creates a tailored post for this role. You can write a new post, update a saved draft, or reuse an existing post.

  • Specify whether the work involves writing new RPG IV source code or debugging existing ILE programs on IBM i.
  • List required tools such as IBM Rational Developer for i (RDi) and compile commands like CRTBNDRPG.
  • Clarify if the project requires modernizing legacy applications or maintaining current RPGLE modules.

Step 2: Evaluate candidates

Look for portfolios that demonstrate hands-on experience with IBM i environments and RPG development workflows. Uma can run instant video interviews and build shortlists with side-by-side comparisons to help you assess technical fit.

  • Verify experience compiling RPG source into program objects and resolving compile-time diagnostics.
  • Check for examples of updated RPG source members and compiled ILE artifacts from past projects.
  • Confirm familiarity with debugging IBM i applications using integrated tools within RDi.

Step 3: Interview your top choices

Discuss specific technical challenges related to your IBM i system and RPG codebase. Schedule and conduct interviews within Upwork Messages to receive an immediate transcript and summary after each session.

  • Ask how they approach debugging runtime errors in complex ILE programs.
  • Discuss their process for promoting updated source and recompiled objects to target environments.
  • Explore their experience with SQL integration in RPG programs using commands like CRTSQLRPGI.

Step 4: Agree on scope and begin work

Set clear milestones for source updates, compilation, and testing within the contract workroom. Use Upwork Messages for communication and rely on identity verification, payment protection, hourly tracking, and project funds for security.

  • Define deliverables such as specific RPGLE source members and corresponding compiled modules.
  • Establish a timeline for debugging fixes and resolution of identified application issues.
  • Agree on standards for compiler listings and diagnostic outputs to verify code quality.

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The rates and information provided in this article are based on current data and industry sources available at the time of publication. Freelance rates can vary depending on factors such as experience, location, project scope, and market conditions. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research to confirm current rates and trends, as this information may change over time.

How much does hiring an RPG (OS/400) specialist cost?

$500-$1,500 per project is a typical range for focused RPG (OS/400) specialist work. Final pricing depends on scope, technical complexity, required integrations, source-material quality, revision needs, and the freelancer's experience level.

Legacy code review

$500-$1,200/project

Entry-level to mid-level
  • Identified compile errors and runtime issues in RPG IV source
  • Generated compiler outputs with line-by-line diagnostics
  • Documented steps to resolve identified bugs in IBM i applications

RPG module compilation

$1,200-$2,500/project

Mid-level
  • Built ILE program objects and modules using CRTBNDRPG commands
  • Refactored RPGLE source members for successful compilation
  • Recorded results from initial execution tests in the IBM i environment

Application debugging

$2,500-$4,500/project

Mid-level to senior-level
  • Resolved runtime errors using the IBM i debugger in RDi
  • Updated RPG source and recompiled program objects
  • Confirmed fixes resolve original issues without side effects

SQL integration

$4,500-$7,000/project

Senior-level
  • Wrote RPG programs with embedded SQL using CRTSQLRPGI
  • Established data retrieval and update logic within IBM i applications
  • Measured query execution times and optimized access paths

System modernization

$7,000-$12,000/project

Expert-level
  • Restructured legacy RPG/Cobol applications into modular ILE designs
  • Converted outdated code to current RPG IV standards in RDi
  • Prepared compiled objects and source for promotion to production

Frequently asked questions

Is hiring an RPG (OS/400) specialist worth it?

For most businesses, yes: hiring an RPG (OS/400) specialist is worthwhile. These experts maintain critical IBM i applications that drive core business operations. They compile source code into program objects and debug runtime errors to keep systems stable. Modernizing legacy RPG IV code prevents technical debt from slowing down your workflow.

How do I evaluate RPG (OS/400) specialist candidates?

Verify their ability to write and maintain RPG IV source using IBM Rational Developer for i. Ask them to describe how they use compile commands like CRTBNDRPG to build modules. A strong candidate explains how they diagnose issues with the integrated debugger before promoting objects to production.

What tools does an RPG (OS/400) specialist use daily?

They edit source code in IBM Rational Developer for i and compile programs using IBM i commands. They also use the integrated debugger to trace execution paths and fix logic errors.

Can an RPG (OS/400) specialist modernize legacy applications?

Yes, they refactor old RPG and Cobol code into modern RPG IV structures within the IBM i environment. This work updates source members and recompiles artifacts to improve maintainability.