Gameplay Programmer

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Parts I and II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we’d love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contributes to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

In service of these goals, Naughty Dog is growing our Programming team! Come help us to push the technical limits of video games by implementing new ideas to make our characters and their world feel more real and more alive. As a Gameplay Programmer, you will collaborate closely across disciplines such as Design and Animation to create and iterate on various new and existing systems based on the needs of the project with some of the best developers in the world.

This is a hybrid position based in our studio in Santa Monica, CA.

What you will do:

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  Work closely with the Design and Animation teams to bring ideas and new gameplay features into the game

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  Collaborate with the team to design and implement and iterate on new enemy types, modifying existing features and creating new features to support the design



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  Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed

What skills you will use:

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  Minimum of 2 years working in the video game industry

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  Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent work experience

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  Solid math skills with emphasis on 3D math

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  Solid knowledge of C and C++ programming languages



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  Possesses the ability and drive to contribute and advance all aspects of a game

Bonus Skills:

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  Experience programming on enemies, including AI

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  Design or scripting experience in implementing enemies

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  Console programming experience

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  Passion for playing and developing exceptional games



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  Interest in crafting and iterating on moment-to-moment gameplay

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates should expect to be given a technical interview.

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The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans.

$141,400 - $176,700 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.