Lead Gameplay Engineer

About the Hiring TeamWelcome to Lightspeed LA, the first U.S.-based, AAA game development studio for Tencent Games. Lightspeed LA is focused on building open-world games that emphasize an ambitious living world, sophisticated player-driven gameplay, and mature, thoughtful storytelling. We are developing the first in a series of genre-defining titles.
Why join Lightspeed LA?
For us, it's not only about the exciting, new AAA open world game we're developing but also about team values and studio culture. We foster an open and transparent environment where everyone feels comfortable providing constructive feedback about all aspects of our games.
● We encourage the showing of work that's still in progress.
● We don't attack or question unfinished work, we celebrate its promise.
● We have a No Blame Culture where we blame the problem, not the person.
This is a safe place to fail, and we don't view failure as a negative, but as the natural result of pushing boundaries and trying new things. We create together. We face Challenges Together. We succeed together.What the Role Entails

• Work with and lead a gameplay engineering team to craft development of innovative gameplay content systems and experiences
• Work with design and production and engineering leadership to manage the gameplay schedule and backlog
• Implement, debug and optimize gameplay systems in C/C++ and other languages
• Author lean, high-performance, maintainable code
• Cultivate strong cross-disciplinary working relationships based on honesty and transparency among various departments within the studio

• Provide technical leadership across multiple gameplay systems and features
• Mentor, develop, and learn from engineering colleagues
• Be a leadership resource for engineers across the entire gameplay team
• Help build and maintain an open and energetic team culture
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings with team members to provide guidance, feedback, and support their professional development
• Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of new team members, ensuring a diverse and skilled team that aligns with project requirements
• Facilitate team-building activities to promote a positive and collaborative working environment

Who We Look For

• Experience working in Unreal Engine
• Passion and enthusiasm for creating fun and engaging gameplay through iteration and innovation
• Experience bringing multiple large-scale game titles to completion on PC and consoles
• 7+ years of professional game programming experience
• Experience managing direct reports
• Experience performing in a senior or principal software engineering role or equivalent
• Ability to collaborate with other engineers, designers, artists and other game developers
• Ability to work well in a fluid, changing environment as creative challenges evolve
• Deep knowledge of gameplay systems involving AI, animation, physics, and character-related systems from engine to game
• Expert in C++, debugging, and 3D mathematics
• Enjoy working closely with creative and technical team members
• Value lean, simple, efficient, well-tested code
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Experience with game console hardware
• Understanding of game asset pipelines

Why Join Us?

Location State(s)

US-California-Irvine

The expected base pay range for this position in the location(s) listed above is $116,200.00 to $343,600.00 per year. Actual pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Employees hired for this position may be eligible for a sign on payment, relocation package, and restricted stock units, which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Subject to the terms and conditions of the plans in effect, hired applicants are also eligible for medical, dental, vision, life and disability benefits, and participation in the Company’s 401(k) plan. The Employee is also eligible for up to 15 to 25 days of vacation per year (depending on the employee’s tenure), up to 13 days of holidays throughout the calendar year, and up to 10 days of paid sick leave per year. Your benefits may be adjusted to reflect your location, employment status, duration of employment with the company, and position level. Benefits may also be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent

As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community. We foster an environment where every employee of Tencent feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.