Senior Gameplay AI Engineer — Remote

Skydance Media; Washington (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Skydance Games, a premier developer in cinematic interactive entertainment, seeks a Senior Gameplay AI Engineer to lead core AI features and NPC behavior systems. You will collaborate with design, animation, audio, and production to push the boundaries of gameplay AI across scalable architectures.

The role requires deep Unreal Engine expertise, hands-on development of AI simulation features, and mentorship of engineers while delivering high-quality, responsive gameplay experiences.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional gameplay/AI engineering experience.
• Experience owning large gameplay or AI systems in production.
• Experience with Unreal Engine and AI frameworks including Behavior Trees, FSMs, Utility AI.
• Ability to mentor engineers and collaborate with design, animation, audio, and production.
• Excellent communication skills and strong problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of core gameplay AI systems.
• Drive technical direction for NPC gameplay systems and AI frameworks.
• Own large-scale AI features from concept through ship.
• Identify and resolve performance, scalability, and design challenges across gameplay systems.
• Partner with Design, Animation, Audio, and Production to define AI feature goals.
• Provide technical leadership across cross-functional AI initiatives.
• Help establish engineering standards and improve team AI development workflows.

Skills

C++

Unreal Engine

Blueprints

Behavior Trees

FSMs

Animation Blueprints

MotionMatching

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Communication

Tools

Git

Perforce

Job description

Skydance Games, a premier developer in cinematic interactive entertainment, seeks a Senior Gameplay AI Engineer to lead core AI features and NPC behavior systems. You will collaborate with design, animation, audio, and production to push the boundaries of gameplay AI across scalable architectures.

The role requires deep Unreal Engine expertise, hands-on development of AI simulation features, and mentorship of engineers while delivering high-quality, responsive gameplay experiences.