Senior Software Engineer – Unreal Engine 5, Online Platforms, Crossplay

November 20

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Blackbird Interactive

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Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent studio - behind such games as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and the upcoming Homeworld 3, Minecraft Legends, and Crossfire: Legion.

201 - 500 employees

📋 Description

• Design, implement, and maintain core online systems in Unreal Engine 5 to support crossplay across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. • Integrate platform services via Epic Online Services (EOS) for login, friends, invites, achievements/trophies, and rich presence. • Implement and maintain crossplay-related systems such as matchmaking, lobbies, parties, and session management tailored to a survival horror experience. • Work with Unreal’s Online Subsystem (and related plugins/services) to unify platform functionality behind clean, maintainable interfaces. • Own the implementation of platform-specific requirements for online features, ensuring compliance with TRC/XR/TCR guidelines across all consoles. • Collaborate with production and QA to prepare online features for certification, including handling platform edge cases, error states, and resilience. • Work closely with backend and services teams (internal or third-party) to ensure secure, reliable communication between game clients and services. • Partner with gameplay, design, and UX teams to shape how online and crossplay features support the game’s survival horror experience (e.g., co-op flows, joining friends, shared progression). • Mentor junior and intermediate engineers on console platform development, online systems, and best practices for robust cross-platform code. • Lead or participate in code reviews and technical discussions, helping the team converge on high-quality, maintainable solutions. • Take ownership of the online platform architecture, ensuring it scales reliably across all supported consoles and regions. • Establish and maintain technical standards for platform integration, error handling, telemetry, and diagnostics in online features. • Evaluate and introduce tools, SDKs, and workflows that improve developer efficiency and stability for online systems. • Profile and optimize online-related code, reducing latency, avoiding stalls, and minimizing platform-specific performance pitfalls. • Diagnose and fix complex, platform-specific issues in areas like matchmaking, session handling, entitlements, and user state synchronization. • Build robust logging and diagnostics paths to support QA and live-ops in tracking down online issues across multiple platforms. • Provide accurate task breakdowns and estimates for online and platform-related features, helping align scope with schedule and risk. • Communicate clearly with production and stakeholders on technical risk, platform constraints, and trade-offs affecting online and crossplay features.

🎯 Requirements

• 4+ years of professional game development experience (we’re hiring at both intermediate and senior levels; title/level will match experience). • Strong experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5 and modern C++. • Solid background in online/platform development: integrating console platform services (PSN, Xbox, Nintendo, etc.) and/or cross-platform features. • Experience shipping at least one console or PC title that includes meaningful online or platform integration (e.g., achievements, matchmaking, invites, crossplay, etc.). • Comfort working closely with design, production, and QA on features that span gameplay, UX, and platform constraints. • Demonstrated ability to take ownership of systems, write clean maintainable code, and support others through reviews and mentorship.

🏖️ Benefits

• four-day work week • remote within Canada • hybrid work arrangements