MIDDLE NPC AI & SYSTEMS PROGRAMMER (BLUE PIXIE STUDIO)

🕹 Blockfeet (cozy toy-themed town-building & life sim)
🧠 Middle
💰 £38,800/year (£3,230/month)
⏰ Full-time
🌎 Remote (UK & EU preferred)
👔 None

🦄 Description
Blue Pixie Studio is working on Blockfeet, a cozy toy-themed town-building and life simulation game in Unreal Engine 5. The world is built from toy-like blocks where players grow their own village, meet expressive NPCs, collect toy packs, and shape a playful, colourful world.

You will be the dedicated NPC AI and systems programmer, joining a small core team with the creator/director and a lead programmer. The role focuses on bringing the village to life through believable behaviours, routines, reactions, and systemic gameplay, while closely collaborating on feel, polish, and new features over a three-year funded development period.

🚀 Responsibilities
• Design and implement AI and gameplay systems that make the village feel like a living community with routines, preferences, relationships, and reactions.
• Build the core logic that drives NPC behaviour: daily schedules, hobbies, favourite locations, and personality-driven habits.
• Create systems so NPCs respond to the wider world: changing weather, seasons, events, player actions, other NPCs, and ongoing activity in the village.
• Develop and maintain gameplay systems that support town-building, interactions, and cozy life-sim features.
• Implement and iterate on UI elements related to NPCs and simulation systems in collaboration with design and art.
• Work closely with the director and lead programmer to prototype, test, and polish new gameplay ideas and features.
• Debug, profile, and optimise AI and gameplay code to keep the experience smooth and responsive.
• Contribute creative ideas to improve village life, NPC expressiveness, and the overall player experience.

📚 Required Skills
• 3+ years of experience in Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5) gameplay programming.
• Strong knowledge of Blueprints and C++.
• Experience creating AI systems using Behaviour Trees and/or custom AI frameworks.
• Solid understanding of game state management, data flow, and event systems.
• Experience working with UI in Unreal Engine.
• Interest in building believable, expressive NPCs and cozy, player-friendly gameplay loops.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to moment-to-moment feel and polish.
• Enjoys sharing ideas and collaborating closely on gameplay details, visual polish, and new feature concepts.
• Comfortable working in a small, friendly team with open communication and collaboration.

👍 Nice to Have
• Experience shipping or prototyping life simulation, farming, village, or cozy games.
• Familiarity with systemic design for routines, needs, moods, or relationships.
• Knowledge of animation systems and how they connect to AI behaviour.
• Experience working in small indie teams or remote-first environments.
• Interest in accessibility and making games welcoming to a broad audience.

🍪 What we offer

• Full-time remote position, with a preference for candidates based in the UK or EU time zones.
• Salary of £38,800 per year (approximately £3,230 per month).
• Three-year funded contract (two years to Early Access plus one year to full release).
• Chance to own major systems and have a visible impact on the feel and personality of the game.
• Close collaboration in a small, supportive team where your ideas are heard and valued.
• Opportunity to work on a cozy, characterful game focused on warmth, creativity, and charm.

📞 Contact
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🌐 Vacancy link

#gamedev #unrealengine #ai #gameplayprogrammer #lifesim #townbuilder #remote #blockfeet #bluepixiestudio

Middle NPC AI & Systems Programmer