Product Engineer (Console Live Ops)

Studio Wildcard•Bellevue, WA

13d

About The Position

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved , was founded in 2014. ARK has become one of the most successful cross-platform indie titles ever and continues to break industry records. We are looking for a hybrid Product Engineer to take ownership of the ongoing technical state and product health of our console platforms (PlayStation and Xbox) for the ARK IP. Reporting directly to the Live Operations Lead, you will act as the technical product owner for our console live environments. This role requires a blend of hands-on C++ engineering to analyze general console-specific bugs, experience with the console debugging and performance-analysis tools, alongside the product mindset needed to triage the backlog, assess risk, and raise the alarm on critical live issues.

Requirements

Minimum of 2-3 years overall experience in game development, preferably in a live ops, multiplayer, or post-launch support environment.
Hands-on Unreal Engine 4/5 programming experience with a solid working knowledge of C/C++.
Experience developing, debugging, & operating on modern console platforms (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S), including using those consoles’ respective developer-tools.
Strong ability to weigh the technical cost of a fix against its immediate impact on the player experience.
Ability to work core hours of 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST .
Willingness to be on-call for live issue firefighting and to crunch around critical shipping periods to support major content launches.

Nice To Haves

Shipped titles credited as a Product Engineer, Live Ops Engineer, Console Engineer, or similar technical role.
Experience navigating console certification processes (Sony TRC / Microsoft XR).
Familiarity with the ARK franchise (Survival Evolved / Survival Ascended).

Responsibilities

Monitor, manage, and take product ownership of the daily technical health and live state of the PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
Debug, review, and implement code fixes for general and mid-complexity console-specific issues within Unreal Engine.
Partner with the Live Ops Lead to analyze, prioritize, and manage the console issue backlog, balancing technical effort with player impact.
Act as the primary alarm-raiser for critical console issues, ensuring immediate visibility to the broader engineering team when complex, deep-engine fixes are required.
Work closely with the QA Manager to verify bug reproduction steps, confirm fixes, and deploy rapid solutions to the live environment.
Identify and escalate console-specific issues that require non-programming fixes (such as Tech Art, Materials, or Level Tech). Route these issues to the appropriate external departments and follow through to ensure they are effectively and appropriately resolved for console platforms.

Benefits

We pay 100% of all premiums for the employee and discounted rates for dependent premiums.
Our coverage includes Medical (5 different plans to choose from), Dental, Vision, Short Term and Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, 401(k) option, 100% covered Parental Leave, PTO, Paid Holidays, Unlimited Sick Time, and FSA/ HSA options( pay range is established for WA location and will need to be reviewed for other locations)

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