Senior Software Engineer, Combat Systems - Unannounced Game

Team Name: Unannounced Project

Senior Software Engineer, Combat Systems - Unannounced Game

R026821

At Blizzard, we craft genre-defining games and legendary worlds for all to share. Through unparalleled creativity and storytelling, we create immersive universes and iconic characters that are beloved across platforms, borders, backgrounds, and generations - only made possible by building a work environment that nurtures the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people.

As a Senior Combat Systems Engineer
, you will design, architect, and evolve the core systems that power high-quality combat experiences. You will work closely with gameplay engineers, designers, animators, and artists to build scalable, extensible, and performant combat & gameplay frameworks that support complex enemy behavior and expressive player interactions.

This role is highly technical and systems-focused, with a strong emphasis on architecture, long-term maintainability, and empowering content teams through robust tools and workflows. You will help define and execute a technical vision that meets both immediate gameplay needs and long-term project goals.

This role is a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

• Architecting and implementing core combat systems and frameworks, including combat state management, abilities, damage, and gameplay logic.
• Owning the technical design and long-term health of combat-related systems, ensuring they are scalable, modular, and maintainable.
• Empowering designers, artists, and other engineers to deliver the vision of the game and ensuring we delight and entertain our players.
• Collaborating with designers and engineers on gameplay teams to learn and understand their needs and offer technical solutions.
• Optimizing team productivity by supporting pipelines, tool development, and workflow improvements.
• Identifying performance risks in combat systems and leading optimization efforts to meet release-quality standards.

• 8+ years of experience in gameplay engineering or a combination of applicable training and experience.
• Experience developing using the Unreal engine (both C++ and Blueprint).
• Proven ability to work effectively in cross-disciplinary teams.
• Experience working on AAA-quality combat systems, including interaction with animation, VFX/SFX, and gameplay feel.

• The ability to understand and write production-grade C++ code.
• The capacity to make frequent, readable, well-tested code commits.
• The ability to communicate and articulate vision, ideas, learnings from others, and to give meaningful feedback.
• Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Experience analyzing game features and content for performance and optimizing a game to release quality.
• Experience working closely in multi-disciplinary teams with people of diverse mindsets.
• Mentorship mindset and excellent attitude to helping others level up their knowledge.

• Computer science, mathematics, physics, or related degrees.
• Experience developing and shipping AAA game titles for PC, Xbox, and Play Station consoles.
• Experience working on 3D action multiplayer games.
• Experience with a large codebase.

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and Star Craft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards.

Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via ®, Xbox, Play Station, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment…