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Riot Engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the chance to work in many broader domains. As a Software Engineer, you’ll also dive into projects that focus on team cohesiveness and cross-team goals. You’ll lead without authority and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering.

2XKO is Riot’s take on a 2v2 team-based fighting game (for more info on 2XKO click here!). As a Staff Software Engineer on 2XKO, you will work in concert with producers, designers, artists, and other engineers to create Around Game experiences that surprise and delight our players. You will rely on your keen eye for quality to ensure every player interaction delivers on the game fantasy and feels great, too. You will partner with engineers across teams to ensure we have a solid technical foundation for a smooth launch at scale. The ideal candidate will be conversant with UI and backend services alike. This role reports to the Manager of Software Engineering for the team.

Responsibilities:

  • Design, build, and deliver player-facing experiences for a genre-defining game we will deliver globally to millions of people
  • Own building features in Unreal Engine with a focus on backend service implementation
  • Build and support live services for the game
  • Utilize internal and external cloud technologies and services
  • Mentor more junior engineers on the team
  • Collaborate effectively with art, design, and other disciplines within game development

Required Qualifications:

  • 6+ years of experience building building backend systems for interactive UIs and game systems
  • Experience developing large systems from scratch, including gathering requirements and designing scalable, production-ready architecture
  • BS in Computer Science, or proven understanding of Computer Science fundamentals
  • Strong ability to collaborate with teammates across multiple disciplines
  • Product sense, pragmatism, and player empathy in making tech decisions

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience working on a global scale online game
  • Experience using Unreal Engine 4 or 5
  • Experience shipping Golang, C#, C++ code in production environments

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.


Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

  • Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
  • Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
  • Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
  • Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security. 

  • (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $183,300.00 - $256,600.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.
  • (Redwood City only) Base salary range between $196,900.00 - $275,800.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.