Software Engineer - Backend, Kotlin (Principal/Senior)

At Gardens Interactive, we believe that immersive gameplay is the heartbeat of every great game. We connect people through the universal power of play. Our games foster meaningful relationships, celebrate artistry, and support vibrant, inclusive communities. We re committed to building experiences that bring people together, and we believe that technology is key to making this vision a reality.

As a Software Engineer focused on the backend of multiplayer experiences, you ll play a pivotal role in shaping and elevating the technical excellence behind our games. Working closely with designers and gameplay engineers, you ll help build and scale the systems that power our social and multiplayer experiences. You ll have a hand in crafting how players interact with each other and our games, ensuring our platform is scalable, reliable, and built for fun!

At Gardens, we value collaboration, creativity, and curiosity. Our engineers thrive in design-centric environments, are comfortable tackling ambiguous problems, and are always eager to learn. If you re excited by the challenge of creating sustainable, scalable solutions and bringing communities together through games, we d love to hear from you.

A Day In The Life:

• Work with designers to translate social gameplay experiences into backend solutions.

• Partner with Unreal engineers to create end-to-end implementations of these player experiences.

• Work across engineering to ensure our game and platform remain scalable in a multi-region, multi-platform deployment.

• Integrate or build solutions for our publishing needs

Technical Toolbelt:

• Distributed microservices development using Kotlin or Java

• AWS, Containerization, Git, CI/CD

• Experience in a AAA or AA game studio

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and provide optimal solutions for complex problems.

• Good communication and ability to work with stakeholders independently.

Bonus Points:

• Experience in a game using Unreal 4 or 5

• Experience working on live services and multiplayer games

• Experience programming in C++

• Familiarity with using IaC deployment approaches

Who We Are

We're a forward-thinking, distributed game studio founded by the creators behind titles like Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Blaseball, Dustforce, Ashen, Guild Wars 2, Firewatch, and more! Our name reflects our mission: to cultivate rich, immersive worlds that foster meaningful connections and lasting friendships. We believe in creating lush, living environments where players can engage in surprising multiplayer experiences and grow together with the support of their communities.

Our commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and transparency drives us to create a work environment where every voice is heard and valued. As a fully-distributed studio, we support our team in living and working from wherever they choose, offering competitive pay, stock options, flexible non-accrual paid time off, 35-hour work weeks, and comprehensive benefits, including full medical, vision, dental, and 401k contributions.

We're excited to be developing our flagship project a shared 3D fantasy adventure inspired by our favorite online gaming memories. This is the world we re passionate about building and the world we want to experience every day.

Gardens Offers:

• Competitive Salaries and Pay Transparency

• Stock Options

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage (100% for Individuals and 90% for Dependents)

• Life Insurance, Short Term & Long Term Disability, and other numerous benefits

• 401k contributions (USA) / RRSP plan + DPSP contributions (Canada)

• Paid Parental Leave

• Biannual Company Retreats

• Continued Education Allowance

• A fully-distributed studio. We aspire to support employees living and working where they want.

Benefits and perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Gardens and the country in which you work.

Encouragement:

We believe that diverse perspectives make our team stronger and our games better. If you re excited about this role but don t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. Studies show that marginalized groups, especially those of women and people of color, are less likely to apply unless they meet every criterion. At Gardens Interactive, we value potential, passion, and a willingness to grow. We hope you will join us in shaping the future of gaming.

Note:

Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that people have been contacted by scammers impersonating Gardens Interactive. Said individuals are offering opportunities with the intent of stealing financial information. Please be advised that our team's correspondence regarding positions (including tests, offers, and interviews) is associated with a gardens.dev email. Don't hesitate to reach out via direct message on LinkedIn or careers@gardens.dev . We will never ask you for your financial information.

Compensation Range: $167.4K - $245.6K