Principal 'Game Feel' Engineer — Unity

Grcoo; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading gaming company is seeking a Principal 'Game Feel' Engineer to enhance the user experience by defining character interactions, camera behavior, and environmental effects. This role requires expertise in Unity and a solid understanding of C#. The ideal candidate will have a strong design mindset and the ability to work autonomously, rapidly prototyping and iterating on game mechanics. Successful candidates will enjoy a dynamic environment with direct input from founders and emphasize shipping high-quality products.

Qualifications

• Fluent in Unity or Unreal, with a preference for Unity.
• Solid C# skills for implementation and tuning.
• Experience with game feel and player interactions.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete feel layer of the game.
• Rapidly prototype variations and iterate based on feedback.
• Set internal standards for game feel and interaction.

Skills

Unity

C#

Rapid prototyping

Game design

Job description

Principal 'Game Feel' Engineer — Unity (Game Programmer / SW Eng San Francisco , California Direct Hire Mar 17, 2026)

Can You Make a Button Press Feel Like a Tiny Celebration?

Our client has built an AI companion with millions of daily users, $20M ARR, and a $115M Series A already in the bank. There's one thing standing between them and extraordinary: the moment‑to‑moment feel of being inside its world isn't there yet. They know it.

That's the job. Fix All of It. Own All of It. Ship Constantly.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

• The complete feel layer: character interactions, world navigation, camera behavior, environmental objects, VFX, micro‑animations, and haptics.
• Rapid prototyping — slam out variants, put them physically in founders' hands, iterate fast.
• The internal standard for what "good" feels like, YOU are the bar‑setter.
• Tuning systems you design and build yourself, no designers in the way, no approvals needed.

WHO THIS IS FOR

• Someone who can hear "this feels floaty" and close the gap to "I could do this all day", through taste, iteration, and restraint.
• A designer who pushes code: you build your own tuning knobs, tie into existing systems, and need no babysitting.
• Fluent in Unity or Unreal (Unity preferred); solid enough C# to implement and tune without a systems engineer holding your hand.
• A personal library of feel references, games you've played, dissected, and learned from.
• Energized by tight feedback loops, early prototypes, and direct founder input.
• Someone who prefers autonomy over process and measures success by what ships, not when.