Principal Gameplay Engineer (Networking)

Bad Robot Games is a remote-first games company on a mission to reinvent how stories are played. They are seeking a Principal Gameplay Engineer focused on multiplayer networking to architect and maintain gameplay systems, ensuring a seamless online play experience.

Responsibilities:

• Architect, implement, modify, and maintain networking and gameplay systems with long term stability and scalability in mind
• Design and own core networking pipelines including replication, prediction, and lag compensation systems in close collaboration with designers and engineers
• Prototype and iterate rapidly on features, embracing critical feedback and applying it constructively
• Advocate for quality, stability, performance, and appropriate prioritization across the project
• Coordinate efforts across products to encourage code and feature sharing
• Bring technical excellence across multiple features and platforms, optimizing and fixing bugs in existing networking and gameplay systems
• Collaborate with design, art, audio, and production to problem-solve and generate new ideas
• Proactively identify opportunities and challenges before they become blockers
• Participate in playtesting and provide hands on feedback as the project progresses

Requirements:

• 10+ years of game development experience in an engineering role, with a significant network engineering focus
• Networking experience on at least one Unreal multiplayer title (ideally multiple) on PC and console
• Strong C++ skills with the ability to architect gameplay mechanics, networking systems, and tools
• Proficiency with multiple areas of Unreal Engine's networking tech stack, including: Actor Replication, RPCs, NetSerialize, Network Prediction Plugin, Gameplay Ability System networking, Push Model replication, and Iris
• Solid understanding of Unreal's listen server architecture, focusing on making excellent client hosted co-op systems
• Experience implementing various latency compensation methods, including rollback, lag compensation, and interpolation
• Deep understanding of the distinction between server and client roles within Unreal's network model
• Comfortable with the tradeoffs between bandwidth, CPU cost, and fidelity in networked game state, with an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of each approach
• Deep familiarity with the pipelines, tools, and processes of creating, building, shipping, and supporting live games
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of inspiring teams
• A passion for multiplayer online gaming and a rich history of playing across a wide variety of game genres
• All of our roles require up to 10% air travel. Examples include Studio/Team Offsites, Team/Studio Events, etc
• Experience with Unreal's Network Prediction Plugin or similar rollback networking frameworks
• Procedural or data-driven approaches to networked game state management
• Experience developing or maintaining custom net drivers or network middleware in Unreal
• Knowledge of or experience with Unreal's Iris replication system
• Experience implementing multiplayer lobbies, matchmaking, and session management systems
• History with backend services, dedicated server infrastructure, and cloud hosting for live games
• Strong math skills