C++ Gameplay Engineer Driven Fantasy RTS

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world‑class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.

In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a
four‑day work week as well as supporting in‑studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.

Blackbird Interactive is extending the life of an iconic, hero‑centric real‑time strategy title with a new expansion. As a C++ generalist on the gameplay team, you’ll design, implement, and polish fresh campaign content, competitive balance updates, and live‑ops features that keep millions of commanders returning. You’ll own features end‑to‑end, collaborate closely with design and art, and sharpen your craft inside a large‑scale RTS codebase.

• New campaign & modes:
  Prototype, iterate, and ship story missions, co‑op variants, and multiplayer experiences in modern C++.
• Hero systems & combat:
  Expand hero abilities, talents, items, and progression; tune tactical combat, micro, and counter play.
• Creeps, neutrals & objectives:
  Evolve neutral encounters, map objectives, and XP/loot flows to deepen strategic choices.
• Quality‑of‑life upgrades:
  Streamline UI/UX flows, improve onboarding, squash long‑standing bugs, and refine custom‑game pipelines.
• Simulation & AI:
  Enhance deterministic simulation, pathfinding, squad/unit behaviors, and encounter scripting for tight, responsive play.
• Systems architecture:
  Extend a mature proprietary engine with data‑driven, multithreaded gameplay systems that scale across PC platforms.
• Performance & stability:
  Profile, optimize, and debug code to hit 60 fps during large‑scale battles, reduce load times, and improve automated test coverage.
• Live‑ops & balance:
  Help plan and deliver balance patches, seasonal events, and telemetry‑informed tuning for ranked and custom play.
• Cross‑disciplinary collaboration:
  Work hand‑in‑hand with design, art, animation, and audio to translate ideas into shippable features; drive playtests and incorporate feedback.
• Technical leadership:
  Contribute to code reviews, share best practices, and mentor associates through pair‑programming and informal guidance.

• Deliver modern, maintainable C++ in large codebases with 3+ years of professional game‑dev experience.
• Have shipped at least one commercial title or substantial live‑ops update featuring your gameplay work.
• Enjoy rapid iteration, data‑driven design, and balancing creative intent with technical realities.
• Communicate clearly across disciplines and give constructive feedback in code reviews.
• Are comfortable with Perforce, Git, or similar VCS and modern debugging/profiling tools.
• (Nice to have) Experience with hero‑driven RTS mechanics, encounter scripting, deterministic sims, or custom‑map/mod ecosystems.

$90,000 - $135,000 a year