Senior Online Services Software Engineer

About Small Axe Studios and the Role

Small Axe Studios, a newly founded studio under 2K in 2023 and located in Burnaby, British Columbia, focuses on pioneering innovative game development. We're building a world-class, passionate team to forge the next major 2K sports franchise, emphasizing creativity and collaboration. This role involves contributing to a brand-new IP, delivering excellent player experiences through technical mastery and teamwork.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and maintain scalable backend services to enable robust online features for a AAA sports game.
• Develop client-side online systems in C++ within Unreal Engine to seamlessly integrate online functionality.
• Implement detailed monitoring and alerting frameworks for backend service reliability.
• Collaborate closely with designers, artists, and producers to ideate and refine connected gameplay experiences.
• Produce clean, efficient, and thoroughly tested software.
• Provide mentorship to engineering peers and actively contribute to the team’s engineering culture.
• Perform thorough code reviews ensuring quality and consistency across the codebase.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum five years of software engineering experience specifically in game development.
• Proficiency with programming languages including C++, Go, and Python.
• Strong knowledge of distributed systems, networking protocols, and the architecture of online multiplayer games.
• Experience designing and managing relational databases such as PostgreSQL.
• Familiarity with cloud technologies like Kubernetes and AWS.
• Hands-on experience with observability tools such as OpenTelemetry and DataDog.
• Understanding of CI/CD methodologies for continuous deployment with minimal downtime.
• Experience with event-driven system architectures.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across multiple disciplines.
• Adaptability to work within a dynamically evolving studio environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.

Preferred but Not Required

• Experience with Unreal Engine 5 or comparable game engines.
• Proven history of launching AAA multiplayer titles.
• Enthusiasm for sports, whether playing or spectating.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual base salary for this position in British Columbia ranges from 96400 to 142660 CAD, adjusted based on factors such as location, experience, and skill set. Additional compensation may include bonuses, equity awards, 401(K) participation, and an Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Full-time employees are eligible for comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision coverage, and life insurance; 14 paid holidays annually; paid vacation time ranging from 15 to 25 days; up to 10 paid sick days; paid parental and compassionate leave; mental health and wellness programs, family planning services via Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursement for fitness expenses.

Additional Information

2K and its studios maintain strict policies against the use of instant messaging apps or personal emails for recruitment communication, requiring official 2K.com accounts for all correspondence and interviews.