Senior Software Engineer, Gameplay (Bots) - League of Legends (Mandarin-Proficiency Required)

Riot Games•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$161,500 - $227,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Senior Software Engineer on Riot Games’ League of Legends Bots team, you’ll build and integrate bot systems and develop the services and tools that power them. You’ll collaborate with global partners to bring new gameplay capabilities into League of Legends, reporting to the Engineering Manager in a hybrid role based at the Los Angeles office, with an expectation of being onsite 1–2 days per week. The role combines technical expertise, product ownership, and player empathy to build experiences for players around the world. You’ll work with game designers, engineers, product partners, and international teams, including partners in Sydney and China. Success calls for craft expertise, collaboration, and decisions that prioritize players and fans.

Requirements

At least 5 years of professional experience in the game industry.
At least 3 years of C++ development experience in a production environment.
Interest in building and operating ML-powered applications and willingness to learn model inference, deployment, and integration into game systems.
Hands-on experience in gameplay engineering or AI/Bots engineering.
Strong communication and collaboration skills across disciplines.
Professional working proficiency in Mandarin for technical collaboration with international partners.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience or interest in building machine learning applications, backend services for games, or data-driven decision making.
Interest in full-stack engineering within game development.
Experience with Unreal, Unity, or other commercial game engines.
A history of playing League of Legends, actively playing it, or a deep desire to play it.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain gameplay systems using traditional game AI, machine learning technology, and proprietary engine technologies.
Collaborate with game designers, engineers, and product partners to translate player needs into compelling bot experiences.
Improve team workflows by identifying and implementing engineering best practices.
Own complex technical initiatives from design through delivery, contribute to architectural decisions, and elevate engineering quality through mentorship, thoughtful code reviews, and technical collaboration.
Work closely with global teams, including teams in Sydney and China.