Fortified Studio

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK has become one of the most successful cross-platform indie titles ever and continues to break industry records. We are looking for a Senior Engine Programmer, a true tinkerer at heart who wants to get their hands dirty diving deep into the low-level C++ architecture of Unreal Engine. This is a role meant for a highly motivated problem-solver who wants to be in the trenches writing code and building foundational tech.
Reporting directly to the Chief Technical Officer, you will be responsible for wrestling with core engine performance, memory management, multithreading, and networking. This is a systems-heavy role for a hardcore, generalist engineer who thrives on solving complex, high-stakes architecture problems and possesses a deep understanding of the engine's core infrastructure.
Responsibilities can include:

• Dive into the Unreal Engine C++ source code to implement complex refactors and engine upgrades that support massive open-world gameplay.
• Develop and optimize multiplayer networking, driving high-performance replication architectures like RepGraph for massively multiplayer environments.
• Optimize low-level engine code specifically for modern console hardware (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S), managing console-specific memory constraints, threading, and performance targets.
• Architect and maintain robust Online Subsystem (OSS) integrations, ensuring seamless matchmaking, session management, and backend communication utilizing Epic Online Services (EOS) across Steam, Epic, Xbox, and PlayStation networks.
• Develop internal tools and extend engine features decreasing iteration times, supporting development, and improving various pipelines for a massive creature-survival franchise.
• Debug and patch complex gameplay and engine-level vulnerabilities to shut down client-side exploits and maintain strict server authority in a multiplayer environment.
• Perform periodic memory tracking, deep performance analysis, load time analysis, and critical race condition/deadlock fixes.
• Manage and optimize large-scale asset pipelines, packaging, and streaming architectures to handle the massive data footprint of a dense open-world survival game.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of professional C/C++ software engineering experience in the games industry.
• Deep, hands-on experience modifying and extending the Unreal Engine 4/5 source code.
• Proven ability to manage deep integrations between gameplay systems and core engine code.
• Expertise with Visual Studio C++ debugging (including remote debugging and attaching to live/editor processes), as well as advanced performance profiling tools like Unreal Insights, Superluminal, or Intel VTune Amplifier.
• Strong understanding of multithreading, job systems, and low-level memory management.
• Deep experience working with version control platforms, specifically Perforce.
• Ability to work core hours of 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST.
• Willingness to be on-call for live issue firefighting and to crunch around critical shipping periods to support major content launches.

Pluses:

• Shipped titles credited as a Senior Engine Programmer, Lead Engineer, Principal Engineer, or similar technical role.
• Experience with highly distributed and scalable backend services or persistence storage architectures.
• Familiarity with continuous integration, deployment, and distributed build automation systems, specifically Horde.

• Familiarity with the ARK franchise (Survival Evolved / Survival Ascended).

Required Application Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter including:
  • Why you are interested in this role
  • Why are you interested in working for Studio Wildcard
  • What other games are you currently playing

About The Studio
Studio Wildcard was founded in 2014 by industry veterans Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions designed for core gamers. With countless years of combined industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Wildcard's core team continues to grow, with offices in Redmond, WA and Gainesville, FL including distributed team members across multiple continents.
About The Game
ARK: Survival Evolved takes on the survival genre with a unique blend of emergent multiplayer cooperation and competition. Players must hunt, harvest, craft, research technology, and build shelters to protect against punishing climate conditions, dangerous wildlife, and potential enemies. Tame and ride one of nearly 100 prehistoric beasts, including gargantuan creatures on a scale never before seen in video games! Fly a Pterodactyl squadron over the snow-capped mountains, race through the deep jungle with a pack of trained Raptors, tromp through a fortified enemy base along a convoy of gigantic Brontosaurus, or chase down prey on the back of a raging T-Rex.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Wildcard is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws, regulations or ordinances. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to disability during the application or the recruiting process, please let us know.
Pay Transparency Information
The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position vary based on a variety of factors, which include: (but aren't limited to) skills, competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. Each pay range is only relevant to those residing in WA state and can vary based on geographical location.
Wildcard Benefits
We pay 100% of all premiums for the employee and discounted rates for dependent premiums. Our coverage includes Medical (3 different plans to choose from), Dental, Vision, Short Term and Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, 401(k) option, 100% covered Parental Leave, PTO, Paid Holidays, Unlimited Sick Time, and FSA/ HSA options