Product Engineer (Console Live Ops)

studiowildcard; Bellevue (WA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Parental Leave

Paid Holidays

Sick Time

FSA/HSA options

Job summary

Studio Wildcard in Bellevue, WA is seeking a hybrid Product Engineer to own the console live environments for ARK on PlayStation and Xbox. The role blends hands-on Unreal Engine/C++ work with a product mindset to triage issues, manage the backlog, and coordinate with Live Ops and QA.

You will monitor health, fix bugs, and drive live updates during major content launches, working closely with Live Ops and engineering teams. This is a full-time hybrid position based in Washington State.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years game development with live ops/post-launch experience preferred.
• Hands-on Unreal Engine 4/5 programming with C/C++.
• Experience on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with developer-tools.
• Ability to weigh the technical cost of a fix against player impact.
• Core hours 10:00 AM–4:00 PM PST.
• Willingness to be on-call and crunch during shipping.

Responsibilities

• Monitor, manage, and own daily technical health and live state of PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
• Debug, review, and implement code fixes for console issues in Unreal Engine.
• Prioritize and manage the console issue backlog with Live Ops input.
• Raise alarms for critical live issues to ensure rapid engineering awareness.
• Collaborate with QA to verify reproduction steps, fixes, and rapid live deployments.
• Escalate non-programming issues (Tech Art, Materials, Level Tech) to the right teams.

Skills

Unreal Engine 4/5

C/C++

Live Ops

Console debugging

Tools

PlayStation tools

Xbox tools

Job description

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK has become one of the most successful cross‑platform indie titles ever and continues to break industry records. We are looking for a hybrid Product Engineer to take ownership of the ongoing technical state and product health of our console platforms (PlayStation and Xbox) for the ARK IP.

Reporting directly to the Live Operations Lead, you will act as the technical product owner for our console live environments. This role requires a blend of hands‑on C++ engineering to analyze general console‑specific bugs, experience with the console debugging and performance‑analysis tools, alongside the product mindset needed to triage the backlog, assess risk, and raise the alarm on critical live issues.

Responsibilities

• Monitor, manage, and take product ownership of the daily technical health and live state of the PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
• Debug, review, and implement code fixes for general and mid‑complexity console‑specific issues within Unreal Engine.
• Partner with the Live Ops Lead to analyze, prioritize, and manage the console issue backlog, balancing technical effort with player impact.
• Act as the primary alarm‑raiser for critical console issues, ensuring immediate visibility to the broader engineering team when complex, deep‑engine fixes are required.
• Work closely with the QA Manager to verify bug reproduction steps, confirm fixes, and deploy rapid solutions to the live environment.
• Identify and elevate console‑specific issues that require non‑programming fixes (such as Tech Art, Materials, or Level Tech). Route these issues to the appropriate external departments and follow through to ensure they are effectively and appropriately resolved for console platforms.

Requirements

• Minimum of 2-3 years overall experience in game development, preferably in a live ops, multiplayer, or post‑launch support environment.
• Hands‑on Unreal Engine 4/5 programming experience with a solid working knowledge of C/C++.
• Experience developing, debugging, & operating on modern console platforms (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S), including using those consoles’ respective developer‑tools.
• Strong ability to weigh the technical cost of a fix against its immediate impact on the player experience.
• Ability to work core hours of 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST.
• Willingness to be on‑call for live issue firefighting and to crunch around critical shipping periods to support major content launches.

Pluses

• Shipped titles credited as a Product Engineer, Live Ops Engineer, Console Engineer, or similar technical role.
• Experience navigating console certification processes (Sony TRC / Microsoft XR).
• Familiarity with the ARK franchise (Survival Evolved / Survival Ascended).

Benefits

Pay Transparency Information: The expected annual base pay range for this position varies based on a variety of factors, which include: (but aren’t limited to) skills, competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. Each pay range is only relevant to those residing in WA state and can vary based on geographical location.

Wildcard Benefits: We pay 100% of all premiums for the employee and discounted rates for dependent premiums. Our coverage includes Medical (5 different plans to choose from), Dental, Vision, Short Term and Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, 401(k) option, 100% covered Parental Leave, PTO, Paid Holidays, Unlimited Sick Time, and FSA/ HSA options (pay range is established for WA location and will need to be reviewed for other locations).

Equal Opportunity Employer

Wildcard is an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws, regulations or ordinances. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to disability during the application or the recruiting process, please let us know.