Senior Gameplay Engineer (Animation) - Runescape: Dragonwilds Cambridge (England) Remote (Engla[...]

Are you an experienced Gameplay Engineer who loves working with talented animation teams and creating solutions that help bring the characters and creatures in games to life? As a Senior Gameplay Engineer focused on animation in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, our new open-world survival crafting game currently in early access and developed in Unreal Engine 5, you’ll take the lead on animation systems that animate characters, creatures, and combat. This role is highly impactful within the team, blending gameplay and animation engineering. You’ll own key systems such as character movement, combat, spellcasting, emotes, and more, ensuring seamless gameplay integration while enhancing animation quality and performance. Collaborating closely with animators, technical artists, and gameplay engineers, you’ll shape the player experience through expressive and responsive animation.

What you’ll be doing:

• Design, implement, and maintain animation systems covering character movement, combat, spells, emotes, AIs, IKs, NPCs, and more.
• Build tools and pipelines to support animation workflows, improving efficiency and data quality.
• Partner with animators and technical animators to define best practices, automate processes, and enable creative iteration.
• Write clear, maintainable, and portable C++ code aligned with engineering standards and gameplay needs.
• Support gameplay engineers by providing clean interfaces and collaborating on architectural design.
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews, architecture discussions, and knowledge sharing.
• Identify risks and opportunities within animation, proposing technical strategies and improvements.
• Occasionally contribute to core gameplay features, supporting cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Assist with recruitment and hiring efforts within the engineering team.

What we’re looking for:

• Extensive experience in animation programming, with a passion to become the team’s subject matter expert.
• Proven background implementing complex gameplay and animation features in multiplayer games.
• Strong understanding of game design principles and a genuine passion for gaming.
• Advanced C++ knowledge, with the ability to apply principles across C# and Python.
• Experience with profiling and optimizing code.
• Ability to design complex systems using appropriate patterns, solving architectural problems.
• Good knowledge of source control (Perforce).
• Ability to mentor others and contribute to continuous improvement by sharing best practices.
• Comfortable working independently, organizing your team and resources effectively.
• Excellent communication skills and sociability for remote work environments.
• Experience with UE4 or UE5 C++ development.
• Familiarity with animation pipelines involving Maya or similar tools.

What we offer:

A comprehensive Perks & Benefits package including Employee Assistance Programme, onsite counselling, life insurance, discretionary annual performance bonus, enhanced family leave policies from day one, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and options to buy/sell holidays.

About Jagex:

Jagex is a leader in developing and publishing deep, engaging online games connecting millions worldwide. Known for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, as well as the new RuneScape: Dragonwilds, we focus on delivering immersive "Forever Games" and fostering strong communities. We promote an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and shared passion. Our core values include fellowship, continuous learning, honesty, customer focus, and seizing opportunities. With over two decades of experience and more than 400 employees, we continue to innovate in live game development, leveraging data-driven insights and a commitment to player-first design. Join us to work on a globally successful franchise and contribute to exciting new projects.

About the company:

The Home of Living Games. Founded in 2001, Jagex is one of the UK’s largest and most respected game developers, with a portfolio including RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, which have amassed over 280 million player accounts and generated $1 billion in franchise revenue. Our titles are living worlds, constantly evolving and community-driven. We are expanding our portfolio with new IPs and launched Jagex Partners in 2018 to support third-party publishing. With over 440 staff at our Cambridge headquarters, we aim for continued growth and player satisfaction.