Principal Gameplay Programmer en ZeniMax Media Inc.

Come join Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning development team behind Starfield, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Bethesda Game Studios strives to offer its employees a well-balanced home and work life by providing competitive salaries, a generous benefits program, and offices located in some of North America’s best cities.

With a goal of creating a culture as fun and diverse as our games and our players, we welcome applicants with unique skillsets, experience levels and backgrounds. If you are passionate about making a meaningful contribution to some of the most significant games in the industry we’d love to hear from you!

We will consider candidates for any of our four Bethesda Game Studios office locations: Rockville, MD; Montreal, Quebec; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX.

Your Daily Life at Bethesda Game Studios

Bethesda Game Studios is seeking a Principal Gameplay Programmer who can design, implement, and maintain gameplay systems for Fallout 76. This role involves guiding and implementing our marquee and most complex gameplay features for Fallout 76. 

In your role as Principal Gameplay Programmer... 

• You will easily dive in and become familiar with the game systems in our client/server engine 

• You will implement, guide, and review game systems for Fallout 76 

• You will work closely with designers, artists, and other programmers to iterate on gameplay features and ensure a great player experience 

• You will take ownership of and help shape the overall game experience, extending beyond programming responsibilities 

• You will own at least one major technology and/or game system in Fallout 76 

• You will solve the more difficult bugs, problems, architectural dilemmas, or optimization issues 

• You will be a leader in shaping programming policies and exploring new technologies and processes, especially in areas where others may face challenges 

• You will help guide the direction of gameplay features and suggest options and alternatives that will improve the product 

• You will code review and mentor more junior team members 

• You will manage your time effectively with little to no guidance and prioritize work based on ROI and risk  

What Makes You S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

• You have 10+ years' experience programming, with most of it in AAA games and gameplay programming in C++ 

• You have a B.S. (or higher) in Computer Science, or equivalent work experience. 

• You have expert experience in networking game features and awareness of the complexities of networked gameplay (replication of state, behaviors, physics, client/server breakdown of features and game systems) 

• You have owned major systems and features including such things as combat, movement, camera, player progression, crafting/building, player stats, player creation and loadout, quests, events, repeatable missions, systematic content, player input, dialogue, companion/NPC/AI, and UI.  

• You are an expert in programming game systems in an asynchronous environment whether that be threaded, across frames, or across processes via a network.  

• You have been part of creating and launching a AAA title from beginning to end  

• You have significant experience with service-based games 

• You have significant experience in in securing multiplayer systems from bad actors as well as experience in detecting them  

• You have been responsible for coding and/or reviewing the code for most of the Skills (What Makes You Extra S.P.E.C.I.A.L.) listed below 

• You have significant experience working in a Linux based environment including basic system administration and performance management  

• You have familiarity with Cloud Architecture in AWS and Azure and DevOps principles  

What Makes You Extra S.P.E.C.I.A.L. 

Programming 

• Expert computer science fundamentals including design patterns, algorithms and algorithmic complexity, memory management, state/object management, compilation, execution, and asynchronous processing and how all these apply to game systems in C++ 

• Expert understanding of OO principles including application of composition vs inheritance as well as SOLID principles as it applies to game systems in C++ 

• Expertise in async programming principles and networked applications  
  
  

Gameplay Systems 

• Ability to comfortably work with a legacy engine and make major changes while maintaining stability  

• Solid understanding of all traditional gameplay systems within a game loop across multiple engines such that you understand dependencies between systems and the direction things should be pushed in 

• Expertise with the three C’s (Character, Camera, Controls) 

• Expertise in NPC AI 

• Expertise in combat systems 
  

Client/Server/Multiplayer  

• Expertise in how to ‘hide the latency’ and produce smooth seamless gameplay in a networked environment  

• Expertise in game state validation techniques that still maintain seamless gameplay  

Linux/Windows/Console Proficiency  

• Ability to diagnose performance and connectivity issues in Linux, Windows, and Consoles environments  

• Expertise in profiling across platforms with tools suited to each platform  

• Expertise in debugging  across multiple platforms  

Bonus Skills 

• You have done systems/engine level programming on AAA games on multiple platforms  

• You have C++ development experience in graphics/rendering  

• You have C++ development experience with development pipeline tools 

• You understand how to monetize features while still providing a positive experience for the player 

• You have an educational background in Math and/or Statistics 

Principal Gameplay Programmer - The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $145,000 - $275,000 per year.

ZeniMax has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate’s primary work location. Individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time.

At ZeniMax certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, such as merit increases and discretionary bonuses. These awards are allocated based on individual performance and are not guaranteed. Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with ZeniMax and the country work location. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, wellbeing benefits, paid vacation time, paid sick and mental health time, and several paid holidays, among others.

This position is in a union and represented by the Communication Workers of America.

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