Senior Gameplay Programmer, Game Prototypes
Netflix
- Location
- Canada - Remote
- Work model
- On-Site
- Level
- Senior
- Salary
- $140k – $250k/yr
- H-1B history
- 80 approvals (FY2023)
Skills
About this role
At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we are writing the next episode - pushing the boundaries of storytelling, global fandom and making the unimaginable a reality. We are a dream team obsessed with the uncomfortable excitement of discovering what happens when you merge creativity, intuition and cutting-edge technology. Come be a part of what’s next.
We're looking for a highly-skilled Senior Gameplay Programmer to join an in-house strategic incubation game development team focused on shaping the gameplay foundation of Netflix Games. This role is central to our efforts regarding the cloud streaming platform, the Netflix Game Controller (NGC), and other potential platforms. You will be responsible for implementing and refining gameplay systems across a diverse portfolio of game prototypes. These prototypes will cover a wide spectrum of genres available in the Netflix portfolio.
The right candidate will possess industry-leading craft expertise, meticulous attention to detail, and a proactive curiosity. This role requires a Senior Gameplay Programmer comfortable working across diverse game genres, from children's titles to AAA Action Adventures games, as well as working with a unique input device (the NGC). You will contribute to every stage of development, from initial vision to creating playable prototypes.
A key expectation is the ability to move seamlessly between gameplay sensibility and hands-on engineering. This includes partnering with designers to shape systems and directly building them yourself using technical fluency in Unreal Engine 5, leveraging a combination of C++ and Blueprints as well as using Gen AI. You must possess the engineering rigor to architect reliable, maintainable systems and the prototyping speed to find the fun fast.
THE TEAM
Our mission is to empower small teams of exceptional developers to build breakout hits, leveraging innovative gameplay married with beloved IPs and served with minimal friction within the Netflix ecosystem. We seek new teammates who care deeply about the experiences they create and the people they make them with, who bias towards hands-on action and are energized by the learning that comes with bold experimentation at an agile pace. As a part of Netflix, we strive to hire the best and value integrity, excellence, respect, inclusion, and collaboration.
RESPONSIBILITIES
* Build Across Genres: Contribute to a rotating slate of projects spanning many different genres, adapting your engineering approach to fit the genre, audience, and platform at hand.
* Drive Feature Areas End-to-End: Own multiple complex gameplay features from prototype to polished implementation, producing well-engineered, reliable, and maintainable code.
* Prototype in UE5: Translate design intent into functional, playable systems and mechanics using Unreal Engine 5 with a combination of C++, Blueprints, Gen AI, and custom tools to validate gameplay hypotheses and find the fun fast.
* Optimize & Debug: Profile, optimize, and debug both code and content across projects as needed to keep prototypes performant on TV via the cloud streaming platform and other targets.
* Collaboration Catalyst: Partner closely with designers, artists, producers, and other engineers to integrate and improve features, ensuring cohesion between design intent and execution. Participate in code reviews and create documentation and functional tests for the features you build.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
* Proven experience prototyping and shipping two or more titles as a Gameplay Programmer/Engineer across varied genres, with a focus on excellent player experience.
* Excellent technical knowledge in C++, optimization, math, and debugging, with extensive hands-on experience in Unreal Engine 5 and strong Blueprint implementation skills.
* Strong gameplay and design sensibilities, able to partner with designers to shape systems and articulate the core elements that contribute to the "feel" and success of each