Gameplay Engineer

At ArenaNet, we’ve always believed that games are art. They have the power to communicate ideas and tell stories. They can change the way we think, reflect our cultures, and move us. As the developer of the award-winning Guild Wars game series, we’re proud to share our passion for the online worlds we’ve created with over 21 million players worldwide.

ArenaNet develops and publishes games for every kind of person, which means our games need to be built by every kind of person. We believe the best experiences come from working together, celebrating differences, and helping each of our team members shine.

We are looking for a Gameplay Engineer who is excited about building rich, immersive online worlds and collaborating closely with designers and teammates across disciplines to create compelling player experiences.

In this role, you’ll work closely with experienced engineers, designers, and other developers to build gameplay systems, prototype ideas, and grow your skills as part of a collaborative team environment.

If you enjoy solving problems, learning from others, and helping bring game ideas to life, we’d love to hear from you.

About Our Team

The Engineering team at ArenaNet thrives on a wide array of perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, and interests. We believe the best games are created by healthy, collaborative teams where people feel supported, respected, and empowered to contribute ideas.

Our work is deeply connected with designers, artists, audio, QA, and other disciplines throughout the studio. We value curiosity, empathy, clear communication, and a willingness to learn from one another. We actively seek out new perspectives and approaches, and we know great ideas can come from anywhere.

Guild Wars 2 runs on a proprietary codebase and we do not ship AI generated code. As such, so you must be comfortable working without relying on AI tools.

What You’ll Do

Collaborate with designers and other engineers to implement and maintain gameplay systems and features
Prototype and iterate on gameplay ideas
Debug and improve existing gameplay systems
Learn development practices and workflows from experienced teammates
Participate in code reviews, team discussions, and collaborative problem-solving
Contribute to a positive, inclusive, and supportive team culture

What Helps You Succeed

We recognize that strong candidates may not match every qualification listed below. If you’re excited about the role and believe you could succeed in it, we encourage you to apply.

You’ll likely thrive in this role if you have:

Experience programming in C++ through professional work, school projects, personal projects, game jams, or other hands-on and hand-crafted development
Interest in gameplay programming and game systems
Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to dive into unfamiliar code and understand what it’s doing, and why it’s doing it
Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with teammates
Experience with large or long-running codebases
Enthusiasm for feedback, iteration, and growth
Enthusiasm for multiplayer games and communities

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent practical experience.
2+ years of professional software engineering experience
Experience programming in C++

Bonus Experience

Helpful, but not required:
Experience with gameplay systems or game engines
Experience working on team-based projects
Familiarity with debugging and optimization
Released projects, mods, prototypes, or game jam projects

Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 5th by 10am PT. If the deadline is extended, the posting will be updated accordingly. If the position is filled before this date, the posting will be removed.

Don’t meet every single requirement on this job post? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ArenaNet, we believe diversity in culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and backgrounds make us a better team – we celebrate it. So, if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Compensation Range: $119,135.50 - $178,700.50

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