Staff Software Engineer, Riot Games
Gameplay, Unpublished Research and Development Product
$183.3-256.6k
+ Incentive compensation + Equity
Player-focused game development platform
Open for applications
Player-focused game development platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$183.3-256.6k
+ Incentive compensation + Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
To be the most player-focused game company in the world.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate is passionate, driven, and wants to guide the technical vision of our game’s multiplayer architecture
- 6+ years of development experience in the game industry as a software engineer
- Experience shipping an online multiplayer game built with Unreal Engine
- Familiar with Unreal Engine internals and modifying them as needed
- Driven the network architecture and implementation on at least 1 shipped game, featuring low-latency online multiplayer experience
- Excellent skills debugging and optimizing online games
- Experience collaborating with distributed teammates across multiple disciplines
- Product sense, pragmatism, and player empathy in making tech decisions
Desirable
- 3+ years experience working on netcode on low latency games
- Experience with visual scripting systems
- Experience working on mid-sized engineering teams
- Experience with the prototyping and pre-production phases of game development
- Experience with agile development
What the job involves
- As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll dive into projects that focus on cross-team objectives, pushing for project-wide alignment and standards
- You’ll drive multiplayer gameplay features, perform engine modifications, and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering
- As a Staff Software Engineer on the Research & Development team, you will build and enhance online multiplayer gameplay systems, including combat feel, related netcode, tools and other related systems
- You will work in a team alongside producers, designers, artists, and other engineers to answer fundamental product questions and build experiences that will fulfill our players’ imaginative dreams
- You will report to the Engineering Lead of the Gameplay Systems team
- Identify, prioritize, and implement online multiplayer systems and engine improvements
- Lead and contribute to architecture requirements, technical design, and implementation for such systems
- Help shape the technical direction and standards for the team
- Collaborate with product and discipline leads to identify focus areas, handoff points, and provide the best solution for the development phase
- As development advances into full production, iterate on robust, scalable, and performant solutions
- Mentor other engineers on the team in all aspects of game development
Our take
Riot Games has grown into one of the world’s most prominent online and mobile game developers, due in large part to the success of its 2009 flagship title League of Legends which hosts just under seventy million users every month.
Riot is riding the wave of online gaming growth, having made a well timed switch from PC-only into mobile-based gaming, as capitalising on the rising popularity of esports, with the League of Legends World Championships one of the most watched events in the space.
However, adding further titles to its resume will be key to building on its success, as League of Legends was its only offering for the best part of a decade. Since being acquired by Chinese tech giant Tencent in 2011, the company has grown significantly in Asian markets, opening its Shanghai Game Studio in 2021 and expanding its China Game Studio Group in 2022. These two hubs will help Riot Games make further inroads in a country where PC gaming is already huge and continues to grow.
Regardless of League of Legends' success both online and in live arenas, the company nevertheless experienced a round of layoffs internationally that amounted to 11% of its workforce. Pair that with legal troubles in 2024 concerning the company’s partnership with now bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, and Riot Games appears to be in a period of transition. Thanks to the strength of its gaming products, however, Riot will no doubt maintain a comfortable position within the gaming world.
Freddie
Company Specialist
Insights
Most candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
24% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (2 rounds)
Sep 2009
$8m
SERIES C
Jul 2008
$7m
EARLY VC
Total funding: $15m
Company benefits
- We offer medical, dental, and vision plans that cover you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children
- Life insurance, parental leave, plus short-term and long-term disability coverage are also available
- Riot will support your retirement benefits with a company match, and double down on your donations of time and money to non-profit charitable organizations
- Balance between work and personal life is encouraged with open paid time off, and a play fund so you can broaden and deepen your personal relationship with games
Company values
- Player experience first
- Dare to dream
- Thrive together
- Execute with excellence
- Stay hungry, stay humble
Company HQ
Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA
Articles
Leadership
Brandon Beck
(Co-Chairman)Having studied at the University of Southern California, they worked as a Management Consultant at Bain & Company. they left this role in September 2006 to co-found Riot Games, where they served initially as co-CEO.
Marc Merrill
(Co-Chairman)After a degree at the University of Southern California, they worked as a U.S. Bank Analyst and a Manager of Advanstar Communications. They co-founded Riot Games with Brandon in September 2006, alongside being a Principal of NaHCo3 since 2016.
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