Senior Gameplay Engineer - Characters

Astrid is a gaming studio that brings together accomplished worldbuilders and game developers to create multiplayer creative experiences. Our first project is a cooperative open-world sim, designed to foster connection, problem-solving, and shared discovery. Players embark on a profound social experience in a richly imagined world shaped by dynamic systems, immersive storytelling, and community-driven play.

Our team spans the US, the UK, and beyond. We are taking a fully remote approach, but have regular in-person meetups to synchronise, huddle and build our culture.

Job Description

Astrid is seeking an experienced Senior Gameplay Engineer to join our small and thoughtful team as we push the boundaries in gaming and IP, offering fans new meaningful worlds and experiences.

We are looking for an individual with a passion for co-op games. You care deeply about characters, behaviours, and game AI — the kind that players feel rather than notice. You will be building character and NPC behaviours, iterating on cameras and controls, and making sure our game feels fun.

This is a remote position on a fully distributed team.

Who You Are

• You are passionate about games and what they mean for our players
• You are proactive and take initiative
• You are a problem solver with a positive mindset who likes a challenge
• You care about code quality and reducing technical debt
• You consistently address issues as you encounter them
• You like to experiment and innovate
• You work well with others and communicate technical concepts clearly
• You have a continuous improvement mindset

What You Will Do

• Design and create AI behaviours in Unreal Engine using State Trees and Blackboards.
• Build and iterate on Character, Camera & Controls.
• Integrate AI with the rest of the game systems to create a fun, exciting living world.
• Share knowledge, mentor, and support colleagues in your area of expertise
• Champion engineering quality
• Partner with engineers, designers and artists to deliver excellent player-facing features

Requirements

• Proven experience developing AI behaviours in Unreal Engine
• An interest in 3Cs (Character, Controls, Camera) and experience in a Third-Person game
• Working knowledge of State Trees, Blackboards, Perception, and GAS.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Solid knowledge of C++
• Experience identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks in UI and gameplay systems

Bonus Experience

• Experience with Unreal Replication.
• Background in co-op or multiplayer character systems (replication, prediction, lag compensation)
• Exposure to AI-driven narrative or social simulation systems
• Experience with systemic game design (emergent mechanics, simulation-driven worlds, sandbox titles)

Benefits

• Great compensation package and equity
• Private health insurance
• Pension
• Unlimited vacation days. We trust our team!
• Flexible remote work hours as long as team members deliver results
• We are committed to continuing to expand our benefits and perks to support our team.

Proven experience developing AI behaviors in Unreal Engine; interest in 3Cs (Character, Controls, Camera) and experience in a Third-Person game; working knowledge of State Trees, Blackboards, Perception, and GAS; strong teamwork and collaboration skills; solid knowledge of C++; experience identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks in UI and gameplay systems.