Unreal Engine Gameplay Developer

Ember Crows is an independent game studio based in London creating original, story-driven games with distinctive worlds and strong artistic direction.

• At least 3 years of professional game development experience as a Gameplay Programmer, Unreal Engine Developer or closely related role.
• At least one commercially shipped game or equivalent substantial production credit.
• Strong practical knowledge of Unreal Engine 5.
• Strong C++ skills.
• Very good knowledge of Blueprints.
• Experience implementing and owning gameplay systems in Unreal Engine.
• Good understanding of Unreal Engine gameplay architecture.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to implement complete gameplay solutions based on design documentation.
• Experience with source control and professional development workflows.
• Ability to prototype quickly and iterate based on playtesting and feedback.
• Ability to manage own tasks, take ownership of features, and communicate clearly with the team.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Game Design, Art, Animation, and other disciplines.
• Very good written and spoken English.
• Portfolio or released work showing personal contributions.

Nice to have:

• Experience developing third-person action games.
• Experience with action RPGs or action-adventure games.
• Experience with realistic, cyberpunk, science-fiction, or dark atmospheric projects.
• Strong understanding of narrative-driven RPGs supporting story, worldbuilding, and immersion.
• Interest in Central and Eastern European history, culture, mythology, or folklore.
• Familiarity with Slavic mythology and folklore.
• Gameplay Ability System.
• Combat system development.
• AI, Behaviour Trees, and EQS.
• Animation Blueprints and Motion Matching.
• Niagara.
• Sequencer.
• NPC and dialogue systems.
• Performance profiling and optimisation.
• Experience developing for PC and consoles.

• Designing technical solutions and implementing gameplay features in Unreal Engine 5.
• Developing player mechanics, interactions, combat, and other core gameplay systems.
• Implementing gameplay using C++ and Blueprints.
• Building reusable and maintainable gameplay systems.
• Implementing enemy and NPC behaviours.
• Prototyping and iterating new gameplay mechanics.
• Working closely with Game Design to translate design documentation into functional gameplay.
• Integrating gameplay with animation, VFX, UI, and audio.
• Supporting scripted sequences and gameplay-to-cinematic transitions.
• Debugging gameplay and technical issues.
• Profiling and optimising gameplay systems.
• Maintaining clean and well-organised project architecture.
• Working with source control and maintaining technical documentation.
• Taking ownership of features from implementation through testing and iteration.
• Collaborating with designers, artists, and other developers across the project.

This is a freelance contract. Compensation, scope, and expected commitment will be agreed individually. The role can be fully remote, hybrid, or based in London with reasonable overlap with UK working hours required for remote collaboration.