Gameplay Engineer, Games, DeepMind

Google DeepMind; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Google DeepMind is seeking a Gameplay Engineer and Prototyper in Inception to build interactive experiences where AI research informs game-like prototyping. You will move beyond traditional game engineering and explore generative models as core mechanics.

You'll bridge research and design, stand up 0-to-1 prototypes, and craft pipelines for rapid experimentation in a cross-functional environment focused on ambitious results and scalable AI-powered gameplay.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, Math, or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience in one or more programming languages (e.g., C++, Python, or JavaScript).
• Experience working with cross-functional partners to scope and unblock features.
• Experience architecting core gameplay mechanics, tooling, or greenfield technical systems from scratch.
• Experience shipping a game across its full lifecycle (prototype to release).

Responsibilities

• Design and rapidly implement the technical foundations for gameplay prototypes that utilize agentic workflows and generative models as core mechanics.
• Build internal tools, scaffolding, and workflows that empower designers and researchers to easily experiment with complex AI pipelines.
• Lead the integration of small- and large-scale streaming models into game environments, hiding latency and consistency issues.
• Partner closely with designers and research scientists to solve bottlenecks in early-stage, design-focused projects.
• Build compliant pipelines for data management and model testing where stability matters, while maintaining speed for rapid prototyping.

Skills

C++

Python

JavaScript

Cross-functional collaboration

Gameplay mechanics

System architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Math/related field

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Godot

Proprietary internal frameworks

Job description

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience working with cross-functional partners (game designers, artists, or producers) to scope and unblock features.
• Experience architecting core gameplay mechanics, custom tooling, or greenfield technical systems from scratch.
• Experience in commercially shipping or publicly releasing a game across its full lifecycle (prototype to release).

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience in one or more programming languages (e.g., C++, Python, or JavaScript).
• Experience working with cross-functional partners (game designers, artists, or producers) to scope and unblock features.
• Experience architecting core gameplay mechanics, custom tooling, or greenfield technical systems from scratch.
• Experience in commercially shipping or publicly releasing a game across its full lifecycle (prototype to release).

Preferred qualifications

• Experience training ML models or integrating generative AI into consumer-facing products.
• Experience building high-performance web front-ends or interactive browser-based experiences.
• Practical knowledge of modern game engines like Unreal, Godot, Unity or proprietary internal frameworks.
• A track record of contributing to open-source projects or innovative technical experiments.

About the job

As a Gameplay Engineer and Prototyper in Inception, you will build interactive experiences, blurring the lines between game development and AI research. Your mission is to move beyond traditional game engineering to show what is possible when generative models and agentic workflows become core mechanics.

You will be a key bridge between research and design, moving fast to stand up 0-to-1 prototypes, crafting expert pipelines when necessary, and finding novel technical solutions to creative problems. You will work in a cross-functional environment where every project involves significant experimentation, rapid iteration, and close collaboration.

Artificial intelligence will be one of humanity’s most transformative inventions. At Google DeepMind, we are a pioneering AI lab with exceptional interdisciplinary teams focused on advancing AI development to solve complex global challenges and accelerate high-quality product innovation for billions of users. We use our technologies for widespread public benefit and scientific discovery, ensuring safety and ethics are always our highest priority.

We are pushing the boundaries across multiple domains. Our global teams offer diverse learning opportunities and varied career pathways for those driven to achieve exceptional results through collective effort.

Responsibilities

• Design and rapidly implement the technical foundations for gameplay prototypes that utilize agentic workflows and generative models as core mechanics.
• Build internal tools, scaffolding, and workflows that empower designers and researchers to easily experiment with complex AI pipelines.
• Lead the integration of small- and large-scale streaming models into game environments, creatively hiding latency and consistency issues inherent to probabilistic models.
• Partner closely with designers and research scientists to solve "unsolvable" technical bottlenecks in early-stage, design-focused projects.
• Build compliant pipelines for data managing and model testing where stability matters, while maintaining the speed and flexibility required for rapid game prototyping.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form .