Server Engineer (Senior/Principal)

Bonfire Studios, Inc; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 237,500 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Full benefits package

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

A game development company is seeking a Software Engineer for a full-time hybrid role in Irvine, California. You will build player-focused infrastructure, collaborate closely with game teams, and develop services in Golang and C#. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience, a passion for games, and is adaptable to new technologies. Competitive salary range of $237,500 - $290,000, along with equity and a full benefits package.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a software engineer with a focus on server-side development.
• Skilled at designing and implementing backend features that support great player experiences.
• Enjoy building tools and services that make the entire development team more efficient.

Responsibilities

• Building Player Experience-focused infrastructure.
• Collaborating closely with the game team.
• Developing and running infrastructure in Golang.

Skills

Server-side development

C#

Golang

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD pipelines

Tools

Redis Cluster

Firestore

HTML

TypeScript

Bootstrap

D3.js

Job description

Full-time Hybrid, Irvine, California, United States

What’s the one game you couldn’t put down? The game that connected you with friends, and made you feel like you belonged? If a game has ever defined a chapter of your life, then you already know the spark we’re chasing. Our mission is to ignite that same feeling for players; the thrill of competition, the joy of community, and the belonging of finding your own corner of a larger world.

Great games begin with people who dare to dream big. If that sounds exciting, you might be exactly who we’re looking for.

Bonfire is a group of experienced and ambitious developers, proud to be creating our first original IP: Arkheron. It is a fast-paced, competitive PVP game set in a surreal dark fantasy world where 15 teams of three battle their way up the Tower. In a world built from memories, you will loot powerful items to create and adapt a unique build-out that will change your strategy and combat experience with every Ascension.

The best way to understand our Engineering team is in their own words — here’s how they describe their work.

On the Engineering team at Bonfire, it is about more than code. For us, it’s essential to build a deep understanding and intuitive sense of what makes our game special through our players' hearts and minds. Guided by this sensibility, we form close partnerships with artists and designers to challenge ourselves, exploring creative and fun ways to evolve the game together. We ruthlessly prioritize what matters most and continually weigh trade-offs in our pursuit of making both playing and building our game feel great.

YOU’LL CONTRIBUTE BY:

• Building infrastructure that is:
  • Functional — prioritizing an amazing player experience.
  • Reliable — minimizing downtime and ensuring stability.
  • Scalable — ready to support player demand at any scale.
  • Maintainable — services you build are also services you help operate.
  • Available — ensuring features run smoothly across multiple platforms.
• Collaborating closely with the game team building our client and server in C#.
• Designing, reviewing, and iterating with other engineers to keep our systems robust and player-focused.
• Developing and running infrastructure in Golang, containerized with Docker and orchestrated with Kubernetes.
• Automating deployment and testing with CI/CD pipelines.
• Using observability and monitoring tools, while also building custom tooling (HTML/TS/Bootstrap/D3.js) to improve operations.
• Keeping services as stateless as possible for reliability and scalability, and using Memorystore (Redis Cluster) and Firestore when persistence is needed.

WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT YOU BECAUSE YOU:

• Bring 5+ years of experience as a software engineer with a focus on server-side development.
• Are skilled at designing and implementing backend features that support great player experiences.
• Enjoy building tools and services that make the entire development team more efficient.
• Thrive in collaborative, cross-disciplinary environments where your input shapes both technology and game direction.
• Have an entrepreneurial spirit — you take initiative, self-direct projects, and pitch in wherever you’re needed.
• Are adaptable and excited to pick up new technologies, not just stick with what you know.
• Carry a genuine passion for games and the craft of building them.

THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE ROLE FOR YOU IF:

• You prefer working only on well-defined tasks — this role requires initiative and self-direction.
• You’re uncomfortable collaborating closely with developers across disciplines; Bonfire values shared ownership and teamwork.
• You’d rather stick to familiar tools — our stack includes Golang, Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD pipelines, and we value adaptability to new tech.
• You prefer one-off projects instead of building and maintaining services long term.
• You’re not interested in the unique challenges of live multiplayer environments, where reliability, scalability, and availability are critical.

YOU’LL LOVE WORKING AT BONFIRE BECAUSE WE:

• Embrace bold challenges with creativity and courage, making the tough calls to build a game we’re proud to play every day.
• Keep fun at the core: we play Arkheron daily, staying grounded as players. If it’s not more fun than yesterday, we fix it. We don’t chase trends; we listen by playing.
• Stay truly independent, with decisions driven by the team — not by investors or a board.
• Thrive in a culture of passion, trust, and shared ownership; where transparency matters and egos don’t.

The base salary range for this role is $237,500 - $290,000. Depending on your experience and level (whether you’re closer to mid-level or principal), your offer may land above or below that range. We don’t just look at years on a résumé — we think about the impact you can have on the team and the game. Of course, compensation at Bonfire goes beyond salary. Every new teammate receives equity, plus a full benefits package and some extra perks to make work (and life) better. When we connect, we’ll happily walk you through the full details.

Want to get a feel for what it’s like to work here? You can check out more about our culture, team, benefits, and perks at www.bonfirestudios.com. And don’t worry — anything you share with us in the application process is just for recruiting and won’t be shared. You can read more in our privacy policy.