Senior Gameplay Programmer

Epic Games; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401k Match

Unlimited PTO

Sabbatical

Mental Health Support

Job summary

Epic Games in North Carolina seeks a Senior Gameplay Programmer to join a focused team building innovative gameplay experiences and technology. You will own core gameplay features and support collaborative development with designers, artists, and engineers, leveraging Unreal Engine and cutting-edge systems to deliver impactful experiences from concept to delivery.

You will work on gameplay mechanics, player abilities, progression, vehicles, and game flow systems, while solving technical

Qualifications

• Expert level C++ programming and architectural design of gameplay mechanics/tools.
• Experience with Unreal Engine and across multiple platforms.
• Significant experience developing online multiplayer games or real-time interactive tech.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and cross-disciplinary collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and deliver core gameplay features and systems (player mechanics, abilities, progression, world systems).
• Collaborate with designers, artists, and other programmers to ensure cohesive gameplay experiences.
• Diagnose and fix gameplay, memory, performance, networking, and scalability issues.
• Distill feature requests into actionable tasks and maintain robust, maintainable code.

Skills

C++

Unreal Engine

Gameplay systems

Online multiplayer

Team collaboration

Tools

Gameplay Ability Systems

EQs

Enhanced Input

Animation

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

ENGINEERING - GAMES

What We Do

Unreal projects have been leading the pack of real-time entertainment with our constantly growing team of engineering experts. We’re always improving on the tools and technology that empower content developers worldwide.

What You'll Do

We are a new and growing team at Epic, aiming to build innovative new experiences and technology. As a Senior Gameplay Programmer, you will play a critical role on a small and focused team. You will be responsible for core Gameplay features and supporting collaborative development between programmers, designers, and artists. You will have opportunities to work on various initiatives, get hands‑on with cutting‑edge technologies, and work with talented internal and external teams, all while building impactful experiences from concept to delivery.

In this role, you will

• Work closely with design, animators, artists and maybe other Fortnite's ecosystem developers to design, implement, and deliver technical gameplay features and systems like player mechanics, player abilities, player progression, vehicle mechanics, game flow systems, world systems and activities and more
• Solve technical challenges and maintain gameplay features and systems that underpin our specific game's features
• Write robust, understandable, and maintainable code and systems
• Diagnose and fix gameplay, memory, performance, networking, and scalability issues
• Distill feature requests into meaningful, actionable work items

What we're looking for

• Exceptional C++ programming skills and the ability to code and architect gameplay mechanics and tools
• Experience working with Gameplay systems (Gameplay Ability Systems, EQS, Enhanced Input, Animation, etc.)
• Experience developing features for games across multiple platforms
• Significant experience developing online multiplayer games or other interactive real‑time technology applications with a strong online component
• Interest in social, frontend, and gameplay‑adjacent areas of game development
• Ability to empathize with users and to balance the inherent tradeoffs in developing with great user experiences in mind
• Keen analytical mind and mature problem‑solving skills
• Strong teamwork and cross‑discipline collaboration skills, including the ability to deliver and respond to constructive feedback
• Unreal Engine development experience mandatory

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well‑being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company‑wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.

ABOUT US

Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award‑winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award‑winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high‑fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world‑class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.