Intermediate Gameplay Software Engineer (Proprietary Engine)

Blackbird Interactive; Remote; CAD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A creative game studio in Canada is seeking an intermediate gameplay engineer to enhance the core player experience by developing key gameplay systems. This remote-friendly role requires a strong C++ background, experience in shipping commercial titles, and a passion for game design. You'll collaborate with a talented team to build mechanics that support story progression and player engagement in a proprietary engine. Join us to shape innovative gaming experiences!

Benefits

Four-day work week

Support for remote working

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional C++ experience, particularly in gameplay systems.
• Experience with commercial game or DLC shipments.
• Comfortable with content-heavy codebases and troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement player-facing gameplay systems.
• Build and maintain quest-driven systems.
• Optimize gameplay systems for performance and stability.

Skills

C++ programming

Gameplay systems design

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Prototyping

Education

BSc in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Perforce

Git

Job description

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.

In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a four-day work week as well as supporting in-studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.

We’re looking for an intermediate gameplay engineer to help craft the core player experience in a proprietary engine. This role is focused on building DLC content for an established AAA universe, with an emphasis on new content and story progression tied to Starborn themes.

You will implement quest mechanics, gameplay systems, and progression features in close collaboration with designers, artists, and animators, owning work from prototype through ship.

This role is remote-friendly in Canada, with Pacific time overlap required.

What You’ll Tackle

• Core gameplay features: Design and implement player-facing systems such as movement, combat, traversal, interactions, and progression using C++ and our in-house gameplay frameworks and tools.
• Quest and narrative gameplay: Build and maintain quest-driven systems and content flows, including state management, triggers, scripted events, encounters, and progression logic that support story delivery and player choice.
• System design and architecture: Create modular, data-driven gameplay systems that support rapid iteration, reliable save/load behavior, and scale across PC and console platforms.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration: Work closely with design, animation, and audio teams to prototype mechanics, tune feel, and refine experiences through playtesting and rapid content iteration in editor tools.
• Performance and stability: Profile and optimize gameplay systems to meet performance and memory budgets, and contribute to stability through testing, debugging, and fixing live content edge cases.
• Continuous improvement: Stay current with modern gameplay and engine patterns, propose tooling or workflow improvements, and help drive internal knowledge sharing.

You’ll Thrive Here If You

• Have 3+ years of professional experience using C++ with a strong focus on gameplay systems (experience working in a proprietary engine environment is a plus).Hold a BSc in Computer Science or a college diploma in software engineering, game programming, or a closely related field.
• Have shipped at least one commercial game, DLC, or major post-launch update featuring your gameplay contributions.
• Are comfortable working in content-heavy codebases, supporting designer-authored data, and troubleshooting complex quest and progression bugs.
• Are passionate about prototyping, polish, and tight player control and feedback loops.
• Communicate clearly and value cross-functional collaboration.
• Are comfortable with Perforce, Git, or similar version control systems and modern profiling and debugging tools.

Bonus Experience

• Experience building or extending gameplay frameworks (abilities, animation and gameplay integration, physics-driven interactions, data pipelines).
• Familiarity with AI systems for reactive enemy or companion behaviors (state machines, behavior trees, utility AI, navigation).