Full-Time

Senior Gameplay AI Engineer

Posted on 8/21/2025

Striking Distance Studios

Striking Distance Studios

51-200 employees

Develops premium survival horror games

Compensation Overview

$138k - $210k/yr

San Ramon, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Unreal Engine
C/C++
Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree in software engineering, computer science, or equivalent.
  • At least 5 years of games industry experience and preferably 3 years or more in a similar role.
  • At least 3 years of experience with Unreal Engine.
  • Experience shipping games on current generation consoles (PS5 or XSX) and PC.
  • Advanced ability to be self-directed, focused and detail oriented.
  • Advanced C++ skills.
  • Advance knowledge on blueprints and AI decision making tools (Unreal behaviour trees, utility AI, etc.).
  • Advance knowledge of navigation and pathfinding systems.
  • 3D math skills.
  • Advanced verbal and written communications skills.
Responsibilities
  • Work across disciplines to build, refactor and maintain a variety of robust, flexible, and well-architected AI features.
  • Work with design team to prototype and implement AI behaviours that empower the fun.
  • Implement enemies, NPCs or any kind of AI managed characters.
  • Work with gameplay engineers to integrate developed AI systems.
  • Implement optimizations in perception systems and decision-making systems to make the AI performant.
  • Work on navigation & pathfinding systems and demonstrate the ability to debug complex AI issues.
  • Integrate and maintain AI middleware across all platforms.
  • Review the work of other engineers and provide mentorship on your area of knowledge.
  • Create and maintain technical design documents.
  • Delve into code written by other engineers and take ownership of existing systems as needed.
  • Keep current on technological developments and advancements.
  • Research and develop coding techniques and algorithms.
  • Collaborate with technology director on technical design and feature roll out.
  • Write clear, maintainable, portable, and highly performant code.
  • Communicate accurate status updates to your team leads, producers, and QA regarding tasks/features you are responsible for.
  • Adhere to team coding standards and best practices.
  • Foster a culture of open, honest, and respectful communication across all disciplines.
Desired Qualifications
  • A demonstrable love / passion for playing and making video games.
  • A highly communicative and collaborative disposition.
Striking Distance Studios

Striking Distance Studios

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Striking Distance Studios creates premium, single-player survival horror games with strong cinematic storytelling. Its games deliver narrative-driven experiences, combining atmosphere, challenging survival gameplay, and high production values built on established game engines. The company distinguishes itself by focusing on cohesive, story-led horror rather than multiplayer options, and by adding value through in-game purchases and exclusive content packs after launch. Its goal is to raise standards in the gaming industry by delivering polished, story-rich horror titles and expanding value with premium content.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

San Ramon, California

Founded

2019

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Skybound's proven horror transmedia track record positions franchise for multi-platform expansion.
  • PlayStation 5 DualSense haptic feedback and 3D audio create differentiated immersive experiences.
  • Story-driven survival horror genre attracts dedicated audiences with premium pricing power.

What critics are saying

  • Krafton cancelled next project Titan due to poor Callisto sales performance.
  • The Callisto Protocol launched with mixed reviews and severe PC performance issues.
  • Glen Schofield's mismanagement caused crunch, eroding team morale and talent retention.

What makes Striking Distance Studios unique

  • Founded by Dead Space creator Glen Schofield with veteran team members from the series.
  • Partnered with Skybound Entertainment for multimedia franchise expansion using transmedia expertise.
  • Developed The Callisto Protocol using Unreal Engine 4 with advanced haptic feedback technology.

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Benefits

Healthcare coverage

Fitness allowance

Retirement plans

Unlimited time off

Professional development

Company News

GameInfinitus
Feb 8th, 2023
The Callisto Protocol Update 1.11 Patch Notes: What's New In February 7 Update

Striking Distance Studios has launched a significant update to its popular survival-horror game, The Callisto Protocol.

Gameranx
Dec 7th, 2022
The Callisto Protocol Receives New PC Optimization Update

Striking Distance Studios has released a new patch improving PC performance for their debut game, The Callisto Protocol.

Overclock3D
Dec 7th, 2022
The Callisto Protocol's second PC patch has landed, further reducing stutter | OC3D News

Striking Distance Studios has released their second PC patch for The Callisto Protocol, with today's update improving the game's PSO caching to further reduce the stutters that many PC gamers are experiencing.

Rise Up Gamer
Dec 2nd, 2022
Developer Of Callisto Protocol Unveils The PC Requirements For Max And Ultra Settings For The Horror Game

The developer of the highly-awaited horror game, Callisto Protocol, Striking Distance Studios has finally released the PC hardware requirements to play the upcoming game in either Max or Ultra settings.

SimpleGamer
Dec 2nd, 2022
The Callisto Protocol To Get New Game+ And Hardcore Mode In February

The survival horror video game launched today (December 2nd) to mixed reviews and reports of disastrous performance on PC by players, but Striking Distance Studios has already announced that a Hardcore Mode and New Game+ will be added to the game as part of a free update on February 7th, 2023.

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