Who We Are
Founded in 2023, 2K Sports Lab is the newest stand alone studio at 2K looking to push game development boundaries to bring 2K's next groundbreaking sports franchise to life. We're building a world-class team at our new Vancouver, BC location where our goal is to deliver an exceptional experience through bold ideas, technical excellence, and creative collaboration. We're seeking passionate and driven professionals across all areas of game development to help shape this ambitious vision. If you’re interested in tackling unique challenges and think you have what it takes to level up our team, we encourage you to apply!
What We Need
We are looking for a Senior Gameplay Engineer to contribute to the development of new animation features and gameplay mechanics at our new studio. In this role, you will be working closely with Animators, Design and Production to develop nuanced and sophisticated animation behaviors that authentically replicate the beautiful, continuous flow of modern field sports. You will help build the foundation, then iterate and innovate upon it to polish world-class, pitch-perfect gameplay for what will be the next massive sports franchise in our industry.
What You Will Do
Collaborate closely with gameplay engineers / designers to identify and develop new gameplay features
Feature owner of key animation-driven gameplay mechanics, including complex locomotion, physical duels, and intricate foot-to-object interactions
Support requests and features for content creation tools and animation review, helping translate authentic athlete physics, momentum, and sudden changes of direction into interactive systems
Assist engineers in making the best use of existing and new animation features
Keep up to date with the latest industry work and implement these techniques
Write and maintain robust and performant code
Optimize code and debug animation issues as they arise
What Will Make You A Great Fit
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field (or equivalent work experience)
Excellent 3D math and linear algebra skills
Solid familiarity and experience with C++
3+ years of proven experience working with animation or gameplay systems
Implementation experience in one or more of the following areas: inverse kinematics techniques, procedural animation techniques, keyframe animation and forward kinematics
Ability to explain technical topics to people of varying levels of expertise
An eye for detail in creating dynamic, authentic, and responsive character animation
A deep love for video games (not just ours!) and a passion for sports culture, tracking everything from tactical team formations to what happens from the opening whistle to the final second of extra time
Beneficial Qualifications
Experience developing and shipping AAA games on Unreal Engine 4 and 5
Master’s/PhD in a related field with a focus on animation related topics
Familiarity with Python and/or C#
The pay range for this position in British Columbia at the start of employment is expected to be between $96,400 and $142,660 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.
Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.
Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.
Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent work experience)
- Excellent 3D math and linear algebra skills
- Solid familiarity and experience with C++
- 3+ years proven experience working with animation or gameplay systems
- Implementation experience with inverse kinematics techniques
- Implementation experience with procedural animation techniques
- Implementation experience with keyframe animation and forward kinematics
- Ability to explain technical topics to people of varying expertise
- Attention to detail creating dynamic, authentic, responsive character animation
- Deep knowledge and passion for video games and sports culture
- Experience developing and shipping AAA games on Unreal Engine 4 or 5
- Master's or PhD in a related field with focus on animation topics
- Familiarity with Python and/or C#
2K Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid holidays, generous vacation or discretionary time off, sick time, and both parental and compassionate leave are explicitly listed in recent role descriptions. A company‑wide end‑of‑year break further expands the time‑off offering.
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Healthcare Strength — Core medical, dental, and vision coverage is paired with mental‑health programs and family‑planning support through Maven. HSA/FSA options and basic life insurance are also highlighted.
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Retirement Support — Eligibility for a 401(k) plan alongside an Employee Stock Purchase Program is consistently called out. These elements strengthen long‑term savings and ownership opportunities.
2K Insights
What We Do
2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, 31st Union, and HB Studios. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment. Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of our growing library of critically-acclaimed franchises such as NBA 2K, 2K PGA, Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, The Quarry, The Darkness, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, WWE 2K, and XCOM. At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role. If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!
Why Work With Us
We pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We push ourselves creatively to do the best work of our careers. We’re direct, open, and you’ll probably meet some new best friends – along with their dogs – sitting nearby. In short, it’s kinda awesome.
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2K Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We are a blend of onsite, hybrid, and remote roles. Please refer to individual job descriptions for more details on location.
