Principal Software Engineer, Riot Games
Services, Unpublished R&D Product
$229.2-319.5k
+ Incentive Compensation + Equity
Player-focused game development platform
Open for applications
Player-focused game development platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$229.2-319.5k
+ Incentive Compensation + Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
To be the most player-focused game company in the world.
Role
Who you are
- 8+ years of experience building large scale backend systems or game services
- Experience developing large systems from scratch, including gathering requirements and designing scalable, production-ready architecture
- BS degree or equivalent experience
- Expertise with C++, Java, Golang, or any other modern language
- Experience with cloud computing and cloud technologies
Desirable
- Experience working on a global scale online game
- Experience with Unreal Engine
- Experience with C++ and Golang
- Experience working on both sides of client/service architecture
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines including Jenkins
- Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker
What the job involves
- As a Principal Software Engineer on an unpublished R&D Product focused on backend services, you will be responsible for the entire back-end servicing the core gameplay of a new game
- This includes defining interactions between client and server that are fundamental to every player’s experience (think: high load, high availability) and varying infrastructure and compliance requirements
- This also includes ensuring we have monitoring and diagnostic capabilities to help us when things go wrong
- You will ensure we have a solid technical foundation so when we get to launch at scale, everything goes smoothly
- Design, build, and deliver internet scale backend services for a genre-defining game we will deliver globally to millions of people
- Own building features from in-game all the way down to the backend service implementation
- Champion the technical vision for the team with production and management
- Collaborate with leadership on planning and long term vision for gameplay related services
- Build features to improve server reliability and performance
- Implement server infrastructure in support of new gameplay features
- Build and support live services for the game
- Work with cloud technologies and services such as AWS
- Mentor more junior engineers on the team
- Collaborate effectively with art, design, and other disciplines within game development
- Review and identify risks and requirements for usage of shared technologies owned by other teams
- For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players
- We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!
Our take
Riot Games has grown into one of the world’s most prominent online and mobile game developers, due in large part to the success of its 2009 flagship title League of Legends which hosts just under seventy million users every month.
Riot is riding the wave of online gaming growth, having made a well timed switch from PC-only into mobile-based gaming, as capitalising on the rising popularity of esports, with the League of Legends World Championships one of the most watched events in the space.
However, adding further titles to its resume will be key to building on its success, as League of Legends was its only offering for the best part of a decade. Since being acquired by Chinese tech giant Tencent in 2011, the company has grown significantly in Asian markets, opening its Shanghai Game Studio in 2021 and expanding its China Game Studio Group in 2022. These two hubs will help Riot Games make further inroads in a country where PC gaming is already huge and continues to grow.
Regardless of League of Legends' success both online and in live arenas, the company nevertheless experienced a round of layoffs internationally that amounted to 11% of its workforce. Pair that with legal troubles in 2024 concerning the company’s partnership with now bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, and Riot Games appears to be in a period of transition. Thanks to the strength of its gaming products, however, Riot will no doubt maintain a comfortable position within the gaming world.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
24% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (2 rounds)
Sep 2009
$8m
SERIES C
Jul 2008
$7m
EARLY VC
Total funding: $15m
Company benefits
- We offer medical, dental, and vision plans that cover you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children
- Life insurance, parental leave, plus short-term and long-term disability coverage are also available
- Riot will support your retirement benefits with a company match, and double down on your donations of time and money to non-profit charitable organizations
- Balance between work and personal life is encouraged with open paid time off, and a play fund so you can broaden and deepen your personal relationship with games
Company HQ
Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA
Leadership
Brandon Beck
(Co-Chairman)Having studied at the University of Southern California, they worked as a Management Consultant at Bain & Company. they left this role in September 2006 to co-found Riot Games, where they served initially as co-CEO.
Marc Merrill
(Co-Chairman)After a degree at the University of Southern California, they worked as a U.S. Bank Analyst and a Manager of Advanstar Communications. They co-founded Riot Games with Brandon in September 2006, alongside being a Principal of NaHCo3 since 2016.
Salary benchmarks
We don't have enough data yet to provide salary benchmarks for this role.
Submit your salary to help other candidates with crowdsourced salary estimates.
Share this job
View 45 more jobs at Riot Games