Backend Engineer (Gamedev)

TL;DR

Backend Engineer (Gamedev): Scaling backend infrastructure for a cross-platform MMORPG with an accent on distributed systems, stateful game servers, and high-concurrency orchestration. Focus on optimizing GKE clusters, Kafka event streaming, and database performance to support a 10x increase in player capacity.

Location: 100% Remote (significant overlap with UK GMT/BST hours required)

Salary: Competitive salary / monthly rate

Company

Indie game studio building a cross-platform MMORPG with pixel art aesthetics and browser-based access.

What you will do

• Build and scale backend services powering real-time multiplayer gameplay.
• Manage deployments and autoscaling for stateful game servers using GKE and Helm.
• Optimize distributed databases (MongoDB, PostgreSQL) under high concurrent load.
• Enhance Kafka event streaming for player actions and inter-service communication.
• Improve system observability via Prometheus, Grafana, or GCP Cloud Monitoring.
• Collaborate on architectural decisions with a small, senior engineering team.

Requirements

• Hands-on production experience with Kubernetes (ideally GKE).
• Proven experience scaling distributed systems under load.
• Proficiency with MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Kafka, or Redis.
• Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code tools like Terraform and Helm.
• Familiarity with monitoring stacks such as Prometheus and Grafana.
• Significant overlap with UK (GMT/BST) working hours is required.

Nice to have

• Experience with game backends or real-time multiplayer systems.
• Knowledge of stateful server architectures and custom game server orchestration on Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with Istio service mesh.
• Previous work at a game studio, specifically on live service or MMO titles.

Culture & Benefits

• 100% remote work arrangement.
• Opportunity to be a key member of a close-knit indie team of 25.
• Chance to build a groundbreaking virtual world for millions of players.
• Flexible engagement options for exceptional candidates.