Principal Gameplay Engineer

About the Company:
Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the future of film and television. The Russo Brothers and AGBO have generated more than $7 billion at the global box office, including Avengers: Endgame. The studio’s projects include Academy Award–winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, Netflix hits The Gray Man and Extraction, and Prime Video’s visceral thriller The Bluff and the global Citadel franchise.

AGBO is currently in production with Netflix on Tygo and Mercenary, both part of the Extraction universe, as well as with Lionsgate on John Rambo, a prequel to the iconic franchise. The studio is in post-production on The Whisper Man, starring Robert De Niro, and Avengers: Doomsday, which will be released December 18, 2026. AGBO will begin shooting Avengers: Secret Wars later this year. Both upcoming Avengers films are directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and co-produced by AGBO and Marvel Studios.

In 2023, AGBO welcomed Donald Mustard—former Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games and co-creator of Fortnite—as a partner. Mustard brings a bold creative vision to AGBO: to expand what storytelling can be through immersive, interconnected worlds that span across media. We’re building the future of storytelling—and we’re looking for bold, creative minds to help shape it. If you’re ready to help define what comes next, we’d love to meet you.

Position Summary:
As Principal Gameplay Engineer, you will work within AGBO's Interactive team, with your focus spanning our active game projects and overall portfolio. You are a seasoned, highly technical engineer who brings both deep gameplay expertise and meaningful engine-level experience to bear on some of the most ambitious creative challenges in the studio. You will help define the technical direction for core gameplay systems while partnering with design and creative leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary technical owner and subject matter expert for gameplay systems across major game features.
• Architect, implement, and iterate on complex, high-quality gameplay systems—such as character mechanics and emergent gameplay loops.
• Collaborate directly with creative and design leadership to translate ambitious game design vision into robust, performant engineering solutions.
• Help drive technical strategy and establish engineering standards for gameplay development across the team.
• Contribute engine-level improvements, optimizations, and custom systems as required to support the unique needs of the projects.
• Mentor senior, mid-level, and junior engineers; conduct rigorous code reviews and elevate overall code quality.
• Proactively identify and resolve deep technical challenges, including performance bottlenecks, system complexity, and architectural risk.
• Work cross-functionally with other engineering disciplines to ensure gameplay systems integrate cleanly with the broader tech stack.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Skills:

• 10-15 years of experience in game engineering, with significant time focused on gameplay systems; multiple shipped titles required.
• Exceptional C++ skills and expert-level command of Unreal Engine internals (UE4 and/or UE5).
• Experience with live service games.
• Demonstrated engine-level experience: custom subsystems, engine modifications, deep profiling and optimization, or similar.
• Deep expertise in gameplay systems, complex character mechanics, and interactive world systems.
• Proven ability to define and lead technical architecture at a project or studio level.
• Strong instincts for gameplay feel, iteration, and design collaboration—able to bridge the gap between design intent and technical execution at a high level.
• Excellent communication skills; able to articulate complex technical concepts to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
• Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams in a high-growth or studio environment.

Additional Information:

• This role is based in Raleigh, NC, and we are primarily seeking candidates who are currently located in the area or are open to relocating. This is a senior, high-impact position that benefits greatly from in-person collaboration with our creative and technical leadership.
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

AGBO Labs LLC is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, color, ethnic or national origin or any other classification as may be protected by applicable law. We aim to recruit the right people for the jobs we have to offer, and to assess applications on the basis of relevant skills, education and experience.

AGBO participates in E-Verify - English | Spanish

The job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent to this position.