Senior Gameplay Programmer - Core Mechanics

The Briefed; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid health/dental/vision

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Sabbatical after 7 years

Mental health support

Job summary

Epic Games is seeking a Senior Gameplay Programmer to build innovative game experiences and core technology. You will architect, implement, and maintain core gameplay systems—from player mechanics to vehicle dynamics and world activities—for multi-platform online multiplayer environments.

You will work with designers, animators, and artists to translate creative vision into technical roadmaps, leveraging GAS, EQS, Enhanced Input, and Animation graphs to deliver high-quality features with

Qualifications

• Proven experience shipping moment-to-moment gameplay features.
• Hands-on Unreal Engine development expertise.
• Strong ability to architect gameplay systems and tools.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and ship moment-to-moment gameplay features including player movement, progression, abilities, vehicles, events, and game flow.
• Write robust, high-performance C++ code and architect extensible gameplay systems within Unreal Engine.
• Leverage Unreal frameworks such as GAS, EQS, Enhanced Input, and Animation graphs.
• Identify and resolve networking, memory, frame-rate, and replication bottlenecks for online multiplayer.
• Collaborate with designers, artists, and other engineers to translate creative vision into technical roadmaps.

Skills

Unreal Engine

C++ programming

Gameplay abilities

Networking

Cross-platform

Job description

Epic Games is a global leader in interactive entertainment and 3D engine technology, creator of Fortnite and the industry-standard Unreal Engine.

A new and growing engineering team at Epic is seeking a Senior Gameplay Programmer to play a critical role in building innovative game experiences and core technology. Working on a focused team alongside designers, animators, and artists, you will architect, implement, and maintain core gameplay systems—ranging from player mechanics and abilities to vehicle dynamics, world activities, and game flow systems across multi-platform online multiplayer environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Gameplay Feature Engineering: Design, implement, and ship moment-to-moment technical gameplay features including player movement mechanics, progression systems, abilities, vehicle mechanics, world events, and game flow logic.
• System Architecture & C++: Write robust, high-performance C++ code and architect extensible gameplay systems integrated into Unreal Engine.
• Unreal Gameplay Frameworks: Leverage core Unreal Engine gameplay frameworks (Gameplay Ability System [GAS], Environmental Query System [EQS], Enhanced Input, and Animation graphs).
• Optimization & Debugging: Diagnose and resolve complex networking, memory, frame-rate performance, scalability, and replication bottlenecks for online multiplayer games.
• Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Partner directly with game designers, animators, artists, and external Fortnite ecosystem developers to translate creative vision and feature specs into technical roadmaps.

Requirements

Technical Qualifications & Experience

• Proven professional experience implementing moment-to-moment gameplay mechanics in shipped titles.
• Mandatory hands-on development experience with Unreal Engine.
• Exceptional C++ programming capabilities with a strong background in architecting gameplay mechanics and developer tools.
• Deep familiarity with Unreal Engine gameplay systems (Gameplay Ability System, EQS, Enhanced Input, Animation systems).
• Extensive background developing online multiplayer games or interactive real-time applications with complex networking requirements.
• Demonstrated experience shipping cross-platform features across PC, console, mobile, or VR.

Soft Skills & Problem Solving

• Ability to balance technical tradeoffs while keeping user experience and player feel at the core of implementation.
• Mature analytical problem-solving skills and a strong ability to distill broad feature requests into actionable engineering tasks.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with a constructive, iterative feedback mindset.

Benefits & Total Rewards

• 100% Employer-Paid Premiums: Full coverage for medical, dental, vision HRA, short/long-term disability, and life insurance for employees and dependents.
• Financial & Retirement: 401(k) plan with competitive company matching.
• Mental Health & Time Off: Free therapy and coaching via Modern Health, unlimited PTO and sick leave, company-wide paid seasonal breaks, and a paid sabbatical program upon 7 years of service.