Lead Gameplay Engineer

Hasbro•Austin, TX

6d•Onsite

About The Position

At Wizards of the Coast, we connect people around the world through play and imagination. From our genre defining games like Magic: The Gathering® and Dungeons & Dragons® to our growing multiverse, we continue to innovate and build new ways to foster friendship and connection. That’s where you come in! Skeleton Key is a game development studio and division of Wizards of the Coast. We are a group of industry veterans who are guided by the belief that empowering our teams and providing the necessary time, tools, and support we can foster a creative culture where everyone can do their best work. Our studio is located in Austin, TX, and we are looking for a passionate and dedicated Lead Gameplay Engineer to join us and bring our first AAA game to life. This role will be based out of Austin, TX. Reporting to the Technical Director, you will be a key contributor as we enter pre-production, providing technical leadership for gameplay systems and managing a small team of engineers. This role focuses on owning the implementation and evolution of player-facing gameplay features, supporting design iteration, and guiding engineering best practices. The position is both a leadership and hands-on role, working closely with design, animation, and other engineering teams to deliver high-quality gameplay systems within Unreal Engine.

Requirements

7+ years of professional experience as a Gameplay Engineer on shipped games.
Prior experience leading or managing engineers in a gameplay-focused team.
Strong C++ experience with Unreal Engine gameplay systems.
Experience collaborating closely with design and content teams.
Ability to balance hands-on development with people leadership.
Strong communication skills and technical judgment.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading gameplay development during early pre-production or foundational systems phases.
Background working on action or systems-heavy games.
Familiarity with gameplay systems that must operate reliably across multiple players or shared game states.
Experience collaborating across engineering, design, and animation teams to deliver complex gameplay features.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and manage a team of gameplay engineers, supporting growth, performance, and day-to-day execution.
Provide technical direction and hands-on implementation across core gameplay systems.
Collaborate closely with Game Design to translate gameplay concepts into scalable, maintainable systems.
Guide implementation decisions to ensure gameplay systems are performant, extensible, and production-ready.
Review code, establish best practices, and support consistent engineering standards across gameplay features.
Partner with the Technical Director and other leads on planning, estimation, and technical decision-making.