Senior Gameplay Engineer

At ArenaNet, we’ve always believed that games are art. They have the power to communicate ideas and tell stories. They can change the way we think, reflect our cultures, and move us. As the developer of the award-winning Guild Wars game series, we’re proud to share our passion for the online worlds we’ve created with over 21 million players worldwide.

ArenaNet develops and publishes games for every kind of person, which means our games need to be built by every kind of person. We believe the best experiences come from working together, celebrating differences, and helping each of our team members shine.

We are looking for a Senior Gameplay Engineer who is excited about building rich, immersive online worlds and collaborating closely with designers and teammates across disciplines to create compelling player experiences.

In this role, you’ll help shape gameplay systems from early exploration through production, using technology to support creative ideas and solve complex design challenges. You’ll also play an important role in supporting and mentoring other engineers through collaboration, feedback, and knowledge sharing.

If you enjoy working closely with designers and storytellers, helping teams grow, and pushing the boundaries of how online worlds are built, we’d love to hear from you.

Guild Wars 2 runs on a proprietary codebase and we do not ship AI generated code. As such, so you must be comfortable working without relying on AI tools.

About Our Team

The Engineering team at ArenaNet thrives on a wide array of perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, and interests. We believe the best games are created by healthy, collaborative teams where people feel supported, respected, and empowered to contribute ideas.

Our work is deeply connected with designers, artists, audio, QA, and other disciplines throughout the studio. We value curiosity, empathy, clear communication, and a willingness to learn from one another. We actively seek out new perspectives and approaches, and we know great ideas can come from anywhere.

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate with designers and cross-discipline teammates to develop gameplay systems and features

• Prototype and iterate on gameplay ideas based on feedback and playtesting

• Develop and maintain gameplay systems from beginning to end, prototyping and iterating based on feedback

• Build performant, maintainable gameplay code in C++

• Diagnose, debug, and optimize gameplay systems

• Help guide technical direction and architectural decisions within gameplay systems

• Mentor and support other engineers through collaboration, feedback, and technical guidance

• Contribute to a positive, inclusive, and supportive team culture

What Helps You Succeed

We recognize that strong candidates may not match every qualification listed below. If you’re excited about the role and believe you could succeed in it, we encourage you to apply.

You’ll likely thrive in this role if you have:

• Professional experience developing gameplay systems in C++

• Able to collaborate closely with designers and other disciplines

• Worked in networked systems, such as online or multiplayer games

• Understand how to optimize gameplay systems for performance

• Worked on large or long-running codebases

• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills

• Know how to balance iteration speed with long-term maintainability

• The ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical teammates

• Experience supporting, mentoring, or helping grow other teammates

• Comfort navigating ambiguity and helping drive solutions collaboratively

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience

• Strong proficiency in C++ (required)

Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 5th by 10am PT. If the deadline is extended, the posting will be updated accordingly. If the position is filled before this date, the posting will be removed.

Don’t meet every single requirement on this job post? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ArenaNet, we believe diversity in culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and backgrounds make us a better team – we celebrate it. So, if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.