Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. As a Staff Software Engineer, you will also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness & cross-team objectives. You will drive technical initiatives & provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering.

On our unpublished MMO, you will work with all team disciplines to design, implement, & iterate on modern game development workflows, pipelines, & AI. You will work in a small team alongside a product lead, technical artists, designers, & other engineers to ensure we can efficiently deliver on our players dreams. This role is for an engineer who has experience with distributed servers & services; the work done in this role will be foundational to the core technology of our MMO for years to come. The ideal candidate is passionate, driven, & wants to guide the technical vision of how we extend engines & optimize workflows. You will report to the Engineering Manager of Core Tech.

Responsibilities:

• Design & implement sustainable, scalable solutions for a distributed network of servers & services, with responsibility for large, foundational components of MMORPG technology
• Lead & contribute to architecture requirements, technical design, & implementation across relevant systems, shaping the teams technical direction & standards
• Partner with technical leadership to develop solutions, & collaborate closely with design to deliver high-performance systems that maximize player enjoyment
• Promote best practices & share expertise related to server performance, while mentoring engineers in your areas of specialization
• Work collaboratively to gather requirements, plan technical initiatives, & consistently deliver robust, scalable, & performant systems

Required Qualifications: 

• 6+ years of professional experience as a software engineer in the game industry, including contributions to at least one shipped game title
• Proficient in C & C++, with strong debugging skills & a solid foundation in common game & software design patterns
• Extensive experience developing real-time online multiplayer games using Unreal Engine, with expertise in networking systems such as replication, RPCs, relevancy, & latency mitigation techniques
• Background in distributed server & services architecture, including server-to-server & server-to-client messaging, low-level networking with an understanding of TCP/IP, & interfacing with databases
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across multiple disciplines, coupled with strong product sense, pragmatic decision-making, & player empathy in technical choices

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience developing MMORPGs with a focus on game server architecture, including work with mid-sized engineering teams & iterative, agile development workflows
• Skilled in managing requirements & refining game development pipelines for efficiency & scalability
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP routing & bandwidth optimization techniques
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine 5, including Blueprint visual scripting, & working knowledge of Iris

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise & a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies & experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy & care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy & other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, & life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, & children, & a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games & experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether youre working directly on a new player-facing experience or youre supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, were better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, were looking forward to your application.

Its our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants & members of Riot Games Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped & disabled Rioters & does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal & state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state & local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, & the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential & sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters & third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, & networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players & other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, & compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs & additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency & security.