Gameplay Combat Engineer – StarCraft

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 109,114,000 - 201,839,000; Full time

Job summary

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in Irvine, CA is seeking a Software Engineer to help craft the next StarCraft, delivering combat experiences, NPC AI, navigation, and gameplay technology.

You will work with engineers, designers, and artists to build engaging, responsive, and immersive gameplay in a hybrid work week at the Irvine studio. The role requires a minimum of 5 years in gameplay engineering, with shipped title contributions and strong C++ skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in gameplay engineering or a combination of training and related experience.
• Contributions on action-focused combat systems, NPC AI, navigation, or gameplay features on at least one shipped title.
• Strong C++ programming skills, including performance analysis and optimization.
• Experience delivering high-quality features as part of a cross-functional team including designers, artists, animators, etc.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain combat systems supporting interactions between players and NPCs, with a focus on performance and scalability.
• Partner with encounter, character, and system designers to translate gameplay goals into robust technical solutions.
• Collaborate with designers, artists, animators, and gameplay engineers to implement polished combat experiences.
• Identify performance bottlenecks, technical risks, and implementation challenges while proposing practical solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary partners to diagnose issues and drive fixes to resolution.

Skills

C++ programming

Gameplay systems

NPC AI

Performance optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Job description

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in Irvine, CA is seeking a Software Engineer to help craft the next StarCraft, delivering combat experiences, NPC AI, navigation, and gameplay technology.

You will work with engineers, designers, and artists to build engaging, responsive, and immersive gameplay in a hybrid work week at the Irvine studio. The role requires a minimum of 5 years in gameplay engineering, with shipped title contributions and strong C++ skills.