Senior Gameplay Engineer

Lightspeed Studios; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 116,200 - 269,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) participation

Up to 25 days of vacation

Job summary

Lightspeed Studios, located in Irvine, California, is looking for a senior gameplay engineer passionate about creating engaging gameplay. The candidate should have a minimum of 5 years in game programming, solid experience with C++, and a track record in taking large-scale games to completion.

This role emphasizes collaboration with various teams and the production of maintainable, high-performance code, with a strong focus on innovation and iteration. Benefits include competitive pay, health insurance, and generous vacation packages.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional game programming experience.
• Experience bringing a large-scale game title to completion on PC and consoles.
• Enjoy working closely with creative and technical team members.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and support quality gameplay systems and tools.
• Collaborate directly and proactively with engineers, designers, artists, and QA.
• Mentor, develop, and learn from colleagues.

Skills

Game programming

C++

3D math

Debugging

Communication

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

About the Hiring Team

Welcome to Lightspeed LA, the first U.S.-based AAA game development studio for Tencent Games. Lightspeed LA focuses on building open‑world games that emphasize an ambitious living world, sophisticated player‑driven gameplay, and mature, thoughtful storytelling. We are developing the first in a series of genre‑defining titles.

Culture Values

• We encourage the showing of work that is still in progress.
• We do not attack or question unfinished work; we celebrate its promise.
• We have a No‑Blame Culture – we blame the problem, not the person.
• This is a safe place to fail, and we view failure as a natural result of pushing boundaries and trying new things.
• We create together, face challenges together, and succeed together.

What the Role Entails

Lightspeed LA is seeking a talented and enthusiastic senior gameplay engineer to join our new studio in Irvine, California. The ideal candidate will have a strong passion for games and for solving ambitious technical and creative problems. Join us and help build a team and culture of mutual respect and passion while having lots of fun.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and support quality gameplay systems and tools.
• Collaborate directly and proactively with engineers, designers, artists, and QA to explore and identify needs and opportunities.
• Cultivate strong cross‑disciplinary working relationships based on honesty and transparency.
• Author lean, high‑performance, maintainable code.
• Actively profile and optimize the game's codebase.
• Participate in the testing and documentation of game systems and tools.
• Mentor, develop, and learn from colleagues.
• Help build and maintain an open and energetic team culture.

Who We Look For

Passion and enthusiasm for creating fun and engaging gameplay through iteration and innovation.

• 5+ years of professional game programming experience.
• Experience bringing a large‑scale game title to completion on PC and consoles.
• Expert in C++, debugging, and 3D math.
• Enjoy working closely with creative and technical team members.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Value lean, simple, efficient, well‑tested code.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on AAA proprietary engines or third‑party engines such as Unreal or Unity.
• Experience with game console hardware.
• Understanding of game asset pipelines.
• Deep knowledge of animation, physics, AI, and/or networking.

Location

State(s): US‑California‑Irvine

Compensation

The expected base pay range for this position in the listed location is $116,200 to $269,100 per year. Actual pay may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits

• Pay‑on payment, relocation package, and restricted stock units (evaluated on a case‑by‑case basis).
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits.
• Participation in the company’s 401(k) plan.
• Up to 15‑25 days of vacation per year (depending on tenure).
• Up to 13 days of holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Up to 10 days of paid sick leave per year.
• Benefits may be adjusted to reflect location, employment status, duration of employment, and position level, and may be pro‑rated for employees who start during the calendar year.

Equal Employment Opportunity

As an equal‑opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community. We foster an environment where every employee feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.