Staff Software Engineer, Gameplay/Characters

Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team objectives. You’ll drive gameplay features and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering.

As a Staff Software Engineer on the Research & Development team, you will work to craft the systems to deliver character based gameplay. You will work in a small pod alongside a product lead, designers, artists, and other engineers to answer fundamental product questions and build experiences that will fulfill our players’ imaginative dreams. The ideal candidate is passionate, driven, and wants to work with a multidisciplinary team and partnering closely with designers, content creators and technical animators to guide the technical vision of this area of the game. You will report to an Engineering Manager of the gameplay initiative.

Responsibilities:

• Identify, prioritize, and implement game systems and engine features related to characters and abilities in a new title
• Collaborate with designers and artists to identify focus areas, handoff points, and provide the best solution for the development phase
• Contribute to architecture requirements, technical design, and implementation for relevant systems
• Help shape the technical direction and standards for the team
• As development advances into full production, iterate on robust, scalable, and performant solutions.
• Mentor other engineers on the team in all aspects of game development

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of development experience in the game industry as a software engineer
• 2+ years of experience working on character based gameplay
• Fluency in C or C++
• Work on at least 1 shipped game title
• Excellent debugging and optimization skills
• Experience collaborating with teammates across multiple disciplines
• Product sense, pragmatism, and player empathy in making tech decisions

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience driving the technical delivery of gameplay systems while also contributing to the design of those systems
• Experience working with UE, and its blueprint systems.
• Experience working with mid-sized engineering teams
• Experience with the prototyping, pre-production, production and live phases of game development
• Experience with agile development

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the and . Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of and our ongoing work to build the .

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.