Independent game developer based in Seattle, Washington currently working on ASTRONEER.ASTRONEER places players in a 25th century gold rush where they explore the frontiers of outer space, risking their lives and resources in harsh environments for the chance of striking it rich. Resources extracted from planets, asteroids, and moons can be traded with friends or crafted into new tools, vehicles, and modules. Environments are procedurally generated in a uniquely rendered voxel engine, featuring a textureless aesthetic that allows players to deform and shape the terrain as though it were made of Play-Doh.

System Era Softworks

Senior Gameplay Engineer (Astroneer)

System Era is seeking a Senior Gameplay Engineer to lead the continued development of Astroneer. Responsibilities include validating feature feasibility, designing implementation, overseeing development with internal and external teams, and serving on the Seattle-based leadership team.  Collaboration with production, product management, and design is crucial. The role requires expertise in Astroneer's gameplay systems, platform/backend integration, and managing engineers.  The ideal candidate will write and optimize code, set the engineering roadmap, and have a minimum of 5 years' experience as a gameplay engineer with at least one shipped title.

<div class="BambooRichText jss-f121">System Era is searching for a skilled gameplay engineer to spearhead the continued development of Astroneer. The team will rely on you to validate technical feasibility of features, help design the implementation of those features, and oversee the development process with both our internal team and external co-development partners. You will serve as a member of the Seattle-based leadership team for the Astroneer project, working with production, product management, and design to help steer the project's future.
 
While we prefer working in a hybrid model, with regular time spent onsite with our team in Seattle, WA, System Era supports a variety of work routines to match the needs of our team, including permanent remote work within the US and Canada.&nbsp;
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Compensation package includes salary, benefits with full medical and dental coverage for employee and dependents, 401k with company match, participation in profit sharing, discretionary bonuses, as well as relocation assistance for those interested in moving to Washington state. The base salary range for this position is $150,000 - $160,000 depending on the skills and experience of the candidate. We look for candidates who value joining a team with a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, interests, and viewpoints.
 
Responsibilities
<ul>
<li> Serving as a subject matter expert on the specifics of Astroneer’s implementation of gameplay systems.</li>
<li> Serving as a subject matter expert on platform and backend integration.</li>
<li> Collaborating with contractors and co-dev partners to implement new features into Astroneer.</li>
<li> Write and optimize gameplay code to operate within established performance budgets.</li>
<li> Serving as a member of the leadership team of the Astroneer project, setting the engineering roadmap for the project going forward, with an eye towards technical feasibility. </li>
</ul>
Qualifications
<ul>
<li> 5+ years of professional experience as a gameplay engineer with at least one shipped title.</li>
<li> Experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5.</li>
<li> Experience managing tasking across a team of engineers.</li>
<li> Experience working with a cross-disciplinary team.</li>
<li> Excellent written and verbal communication skills.</li>
<li> Experience developing client-server games.</li>
<li> Experience integrating game code with backend services.</li>
<li> Experience using PlayFab backend services.</li>
<li> Experience working on a voxel-based game. </li>
</ul>
Nice to Have
<ul>
<li> Experience using the PhysX physics engine.</li>
<li> Experience shipping one or more titles or key updates as a member of a leadership team.</li>
<li> Experience working with external contractors or co-development partners.</li>
<li> One or more shipped titles on a modern console platform.</li>
</ul>
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