Gameplay Engineer Intern

About The Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic Gameplay Engineering Intern to join our team in building and supporting high-quality, player-facing gameplay features for a live-service multiplayer game. In this role, you will work under the mentorship of experienced engineers and partner with designers, animators, and cross-disciplinary developers to prototype, implement, and polish mechanics that shape moment-to-moment gameplay. This internship is an immersive opportunity to write production-grade code, learn modern live-service game architecture, and see your contributions directly impact the player experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Feature Implementation: Partner with designers and senior engineers to prototype, build, and polish player-facing gameplay mechanics (e.g., character abilities, weapon feel, locomotion, or game modes).
• System Maintenance & Polish: Assist in maintaining existing gameplay systems with a focus on code readability, performance, and stability in a multiplayer environment.
• Bug Investigation & Quality: Investigate, reproduce, and resolve gameplay bugs, edge cases, and regressions across a large-scale game codebase.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work alongside artists, animators, designers, and QA to bring features from initial concept to release-ready state.
• Code Reviews & Learning: Actively participate in technical design discussions, engineering stand-ups, and code reviews, incorporating constructive feedback into your daily workflow.
• Documentation & Tooling: Help document new systems and contribute to internal gameplay workflows and developer quality-of-life tools.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Academic Background: Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s program in Computer Science, Game Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong Foundations: Solid understanding of core computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, object-oriented design, memory management, and debugging).
• C++ Proficiency: Good working knowledge of modern C++ or C, demonstrated through academic coursework, personal projects, game jams, or open-source contributions.
• Game Development Experience: Hands-on experience developing games (via personal projects, game jams, school capstones, or custom engine/modding work).
• Collaboration & Communication: A proactive attitude, curiosity to learn, and the ability to articulate technical ideas clearly in a team environment.
• Passion for Games: Genuine excitement for multiplayer, competitive, or live-service games.

Bonus Qualifications (Nice To Have)

• Familiarity with multiplayer networking concepts (client-server architectures, prediction, replication, or lag compensation).
• Experience with 3D game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity, or proprietary/custom engines).
• Familiarity with scripting languages commonly used in gameplay logic (e.g., Python, Lua, Squirrel, or C#).
• Experience with source control systems (e.g., Perforce, Git).
• Experience profiling, benchmarking, or optimizing real-time systems.

What You’ll Gain

• 1-on-1 Mentorship: Dedicated guidance from senior engineering mentors invested in your technical growth and professional development.
• Real Production Experience: Hands-on contribution to a real-world, large-scale codebase rather than isolated sandbox projects.
• Cross-Discipline Exposure: Direct exposure to the collaborative dynamics between engineering, design, art, and production in a AAA studio setting.
• Studio Culture: Participation in intern events, technical talks, studio playtests, and networking opportunities across our development pods.

Additional Details:

• Must be available for a full-time paid internship in the summer of 2027.
• Must be an undergraduate student enrolled in an accredited degree program in summer 2027, slated to graduate no earlier than December 2027.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis during the 12-week internship. Visa sponsorship is not available.
• Please ensure your graduation date is visible on your resume.
• Pay transparency for California: $24 - $38 USD. Interns in California are eligible for Voluntary Disability Insurance.