Advanced Gameplay Engineer

The Walt Disney Company • Glendale, CA

7d • $155,700 - $208,700 • Remote

About The Position

Disney Digital Entertainment is building an expert development team to create game experiences that will herald the next generation of Disney. This role is for an accomplished game engineer looking to create something epic, collaborating with a group of game developers focusing on individual experiences to build a rich and cohesive product that is truly “Disney”. The ideal candidate will be an experienced game programmer with a love for Disney/Pixar, Star Wars, 20th Century, and Marvel properties.

Requirements

• 8 years of experience developing console/PC/mobile games or other digital interactive entertainment.
• Experience with Unreal Engine 4/5+ at the native (C++) level.
• Capable of understanding and working in an existing legacy C++/Blueprint-heavy project.
• Some experience with UEFN/Verse, at least at the hobby-ist level.
• Participated in the creation and release of a major product in a hands-on programming role.
• Was one of the main authors of a significant gameplay system.
• Served as a programmer during the prototype phase of a project and understands the difference in requirements/goals between prototyping and production.
• Understands and implements C++ code concepts (Performance Impact, Memory Management, Inheritance, etc.) at a production-quality, AAA level.
• Understands and implements Client/Server architecture concepts (Replication, Client-side Prediction, Movement Syncing, etc.) at a production-quality, AAA level.
• Understands and implements Game Mathematics concepts (Linear Algebra, Vector Math, Kinematic Physics, Collision, etc.) at a production-quality, AAA level.
• Able to mentor and guide junior engineers.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with publishing and supporting live UEFN content.
• Graphics Programming experience.
• Mobile experience.
• Familiarity with Online Services.
• Broad, current understanding of Fortnite and the various devices available for User Generated Content (UGC).
• Experience developing and supporting products in the AAA space.

Responsibilities

• Leverage experience and knowledge to help implement interactive games and experiences based on Disney’s portfolio of characters and worlds.
• Be an active, hands-on participant, writing code and working with design/production/art to establish and achieve goals for each game experience.
• Implement experiences using SceneGraph and Verse (UEFN/Unreal Editor Fortnite) as a base, operating within the limitations of that ecosystem and growing with it.
• Potentially work within the native Unreal Engine environment (C++/Blueprints), with a primary focus on SceneGraph and Verse.
• Help the team understand and debug a large legacy Unreal Engine project, potentially extending the codebase.
• Empower designers by serving as their main support avenue during game development, finding creative ways to overcome limitations.
• Work closely with other engineering team members to ensure implementation quality, advocating for stability and flexibility.
• Champion Disney and team values, maintaining a ‘guest-first’ mentality by being an advocate for the player experience.
• Drive critical leading-edge projects for the company as an advanced-level engineer.
• Serve as a key member of a growing game development team at Disney.

Benefits

• Health and savings benefits
• Educational opportunities
• Special extras that only Disney can provide
• A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided
• Full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior