Creature (and Gameplay) Programmer

5 Months ago • 4 Years + • Gameplay

Job Summary

Job Description

We are seeking a Creature (and Gameplay) Programmer to bring our creatures to life in a game centered around a field biologist interacting with diverse creatures. Responsibilities include leveraging animation, physics, AI, and gameplay programming to create unsettlingly realistic creatures. You will analyze animal movement and behavior, create robust systems responsive to player input (e.g., poking a creature), explore Unreal's procedural VFX systems (Niagara and Chaos), collaborate with designers on gameplay prototypes, and work with artists and animators on creature development and polishing. The ideal candidate possesses a strong background in C++, vector math, and basic physics, with experience in Unreal Engine being a plus. This role offers a blend of technical challenges and creative opportunities, allowing you to contribute significantly to the game's unique aesthetic and gameplay.
Must have:
  • 4+ years professional game dev experience
  • Strong C++ background
  • Comfortable with vector math and basic physics
Good to have:
  • Unreal Engine experience
  • Interest in science and biology
  • Interest in procedural animation

Job Details

Creature (and Gameplay) Programmer

We're looking for a programmer who can help us bring our creatures to life.

Our is about a field biologist interacting with a wide variety of mundane and fantastical creatures. We're trying to create moments that echo the mesmerizing familiarity and strangeness of real life encounters with wild animals. Like a , a , or a but filtered through an aesthetic that includes classic fairytales, Jim Henson, and Junji Ito.

Your role will be finding programmatic ways to help our creatures feel unsettlingly alive. That's likely to include a mix of animation, physics, AI, and gameplay programming. It's OK if you don't have direct experience in all these areas but you should have a background that includes technically complex, player-facing systems.

This might be a good fit for you if you'd enjoy:

  • Analyzing real animal movement and behavior to figure out ways to improve our creatures' sense of liveliness.
  • Creating robust that are responsive to player input, eg being poked with a pencil.
  • Exploring Unreal's procedural VFX systems including and . Our goal is to create characters that can playfully respond to perturbation like .
  • Working with designers on gameplay prototypes, eg building a prehensile tongue that can "crawl" around the environment in a suitably stretchy, squishy way.
  • Collaborating with character artists and animators on building and polishing our creatures.

Must haves

  • 4+ years of experience as a professional game developer
  • Strong background in C++
  • Comfortable with vector math and basic physics

Nice to haves

  • Experience with Unreal
  • An interest in science and biology
  • An interest in procedural animation

This role could be fully remote or you can join us in Los Angeles if you'd like.

If you think you'd be a good fit, please .

Similar Jobs

Singarajan Studios - Roto artists - Junior/mid/Senior

Singarajan Studios

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (On-Site)
8 Months ago
undefined - Animator

Gurugram, Haryana, India (On-Site)
1 Year ago
Alt VFX  - Senior Houdini Lookdev / Lighting Artist

Alt VFX

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (On-Site)
2 Months ago
DNEG - Pipeline Technical Director (DNEG Animation)

DNEG

London, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
Scanline VFX - FX Artist

Scanline VFX

Seoul, South Korea (On-Site)
1 Year ago
Larian Studios - Junior Gameplay Programmer

Larian Studios

Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory Of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Playground Games - Senior Gameplay Engineer

Playground Games

England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
Epic Games - Senior Gameplay Designer, Fortnite

Epic Games

Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Bethesda - Senior Multiplayer Gameplay Programmer

Bethesda

Rockville, Maryland, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Rebellion - AI Gameplay Programmer

Rebellion

Runcorn, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
4 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

White board games - Technical Artist (SR)

White board games

Argentina (Remote)
3 Months ago
DNEG - Animation Supervisor

DNEG

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Penrose studios - Mobile VFX Artist

Penrose studios

San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
4 Years ago
Sony Pictures Entertainment - Compositing Lead (Project Hire)

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Culver City, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Weeks ago
Scanline VFX - Surfacing/Lookdev Supervisor

Scanline VFX

Hyderabad, Telangana, India (Hybrid)
3 Weeks ago
zoox - Software Engineer - Simulation Graphics and AI/ML

zoox

Foster City, California, United States (Hybrid)
5 Months ago
Epic Games - Character Concept Outsource Lead

Epic Games

(On-Site)
7 Months ago
22 dog studios - Freelance VFX Producer

22 dog studios

Tenerife, Magdalena, Colombia (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
ELk studios - 2D Animator

ELk studios

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Riot Games - Lead VFX Artist

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Los Angeles, California, United States

bounteous - Senior Murex Integration Developer

bounteous

New York, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Media ocean - Vice President, Partnerships Business Development

Media ocean

New York, New York, United States (Hybrid)
9 Months ago
Nintendo - Forecast & Strategic Planning Analyst

Nintendo

Redmond, Washington, United States (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Zeeco, Inc. - Structural/Civil/Mechanical Engineer

Zeeco, Inc.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
CityBlock - AMH+ RN Care Manager

CityBlock

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States (Hybrid)
2 Weeks ago
GlobalStep - QA Manager

GlobalStep

Richardson, Texas, United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago
31st Union - Expert Core Engineer

31st Union

San Mateo, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Decagon - Engineering Manager, Product

Decagon

San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
WebTech Corporation - Lead Engineer - Locomotive NPI Controls

WebTech Corporation

Erie, Pennsylvania, United States (On-Site)
1 Year ago
Pluralsight - Business Development Representative

Pluralsight

Westlake, Texas, United States (Hybrid)
2 Weeks ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Gameplay Jobs

Epic Games - Gameplay Systems Engineer

Epic Games

(On-Site)
3 Months ago
Paradox Interactive - Gameplay Programmer

Paradox Interactive

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (On-Site)
4 Weeks ago
Giant Sparrow - Junior Gameplay Designer

Giant Sparrow

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)
2 Months ago
Ubisoft - Senior Gameplay Programmer (W/M/NB) – The Division Resurgence

Ubisoft

Accons, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (Hybrid)
10 Months ago
playrix  - Middle C++ Software Engineer (Gameplay)

playrix

Almaty, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan (Remote)
9 Months ago
Epic Games - Senior Gameplay Systems Programmer

Epic Games

Porto Alegre, State Of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Cloud Imperium Games - Lead Gameplay Programmer

Cloud Imperium Games

Manchester, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Senior Gameplay Programmer

Rockstar Games

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (On-Site)
1 Month ago
31st Union - Senior Gameplay Engineer

31st Union

San Mateo, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
playrix  - Lead Unity Software Engineer (Gameplay)

playrix

Montenegro (Remote)
9 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Giant Sparrow

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug