--- title: 'Staff Systems Software Engineer at thatgamecompany' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-software-engineer-thatgamecompany-united-states-2xspsxd4nkfa' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-14' --- # Staff Systems Software Engineer at thatgamecompany - **Company:** thatgamecompany - **Location:** United States - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-09-09 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/thatgamecompany/1166bea6-dc2d-4a89-b285-8da6e9fd21aa ## Job description Staff Systems Software Engineer Remote US & Canada ## About this role Most engineering roles at Thatgamecompany ship features to players. This one ships velocity and quality to engineers. Cloud, Gameplay Backend, and Cross-Platform Backend build the services and features the game runs on; you build the systems that prove that work is correct, fast, and ready — before it reaches players. You will build the systems that prove the gameplay feature works — at scale, on every device, on every commit — and the infrastructure that lets a hundred engineers find that out in minutes instead of days. If it runs in production, another team owns it. If it exists to test, measure, or accelerate what those teams build — test harnesses, load/chaos infrastructure, device labs, build/GPU clusters — you own it. Your output is the studio's velocity and the game's quality floor. On any given day, you might: Prove correctness and quality before players find the bugs - Build and own the studio's functional test automation framework — runner, fixtures, game-state harness, reporting — plus coverage instrumentation that makes untested systems visible - Build regression analysis tooling that separates real regressions from noise and attributes them to a commit automatically - Improve test suite speed/trust via flake detection, quarantine, parallel sharding, deterministic replay Find the breaking point on purpose - Design load/stress testing systems modeling realistic player behavior, capable of driving launch-scale synthetic traffic against pre-production - Build chaos testing capability — fault injection, latency/partition simulation, dependency failure — run safely against real infrastructure - Run disaster recovery exercises, measure actual RTO/RPO vs. stated targets, and turn findings into permanent regression tests Prove quality on real devices - Build app quality testing automation — frame time, memory, thermal, battery, cold-start captured automatically and gated in CI - Own the device compatibility lab, orchestration, and certification matrix so device support is verified every commit, not the week before ship Own the infrastructure engineers build on - Build/operate on-prem build clusters (distributed compilation, caching, artifacts) and on-prem GPU clusters (scheduling, multi-tenancy, utilization), backing buy-vs-build with real data - Design cross-platform developer tools — including AI-assisted tooling (agents, skills, MCP servers) — that reduce toil across Cloud, Backend, and Client Engineering Make it land - Define, instrument, and publish developer velocity/quality metrics (build time, test cycle time, flake rate, escaped defect rate, MTTR) and use them to prioritize your roadmap - Drive adoption across teams that don't report to you - Mentor engineers in testing strategy, performance analysis, systems thinking - Raise the bar through code review, documentation, reducing bus factor We expect you to - Be a passionate gamer who puts players first - Treat developer experience as a product — users, adoption curves, a quality bar — not internal plumbing - Operate at Staff level: set technical direction studio-wide, influence without authority - Be relentless about systems that prevent problems, not just report them - Embrace experimentation for ambiguous, complex problems - Communicate trade-offs clearly across distributed teams Required Skills - Languages: Python, Golang, C/C++, Jenkins Groovy; Linux shell scripting; fluent English - Testing & Quality Systems: Test framework design; load/stress tooling (k6, Locust, Gatling, JMeter); fault injection/chaos engineering; coverage instrumentation; flake detection - Performance & Analysis: CPU/GPU/memory/I/O profiling; statistical analysis of noisy benchmarks; regression detection and commit attribution; observability - Build & CI at Scale: Jenkins/GitLab CI/CD; Make/CMake; GCC/Clang; distributed build systems/caching; Git/GitLab and Perforce (large-binary workflows) - Infrastructure: Linux/macOS administration; bare-metal/on-prem cluster ops; Docker/Podman; Kubernetes; Terraform/OpenTofu; hardware capacity planning - Systems Fundamentals: Distributed systems failure modes; TCP/IP and UDP; resilience patterns; disaster recovery planning and execution ## Preferred Skills Mobile device farm operation, Android/iOS build and profiling toolchains, GPU cluster scheduling (Slurm, K8s device plugins, MIG), game engine internals/engine-level test automation, deterministic simulation/replay testing, live service game experience (or SaaS/PaaS/XaaS equivalent), Windows administration, Ansible, TypeScript/Java/Kotlin/Swift, hybrid/multi-cloud management Perks: - Paid Time Off, Holidays and Two Weeks Winter Break - Employees and their dependents get medical, dental, and vision coverage, regardless of their level, tenure, or position within the company. Moreover, these benefits start on the first day of the job—there’s no waiting period before they kick in. - Pet Insurance for those who need it too. - Compassionate leave for employees who needs to take care of their family members - Pre-tax wellness stipend - Pre-tax work from home stipend - Access our savings plan (401K program) with company match - Mental health resources including Headspace membership and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - Discount portal for everyday goods and services - Employee inclusive and diversity initiatives such as Grow Together - Support for personal professional development We look forward to meeting you! Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. The salary range for this position is $162,500 USD to $219,000 USD annually, with the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the Company’s compensation practices. Employees in this position are eligible to participate in the Company’s standard employee benefit programs, which currently include the following: medical, dental, vision, 401k, and paid time off. Our base pay is benchmarked against regional market and industry data and is adjusted to reflect the cost of living in your specific geographic area. #LI-Remote ## About thatgamecompany ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: thatgamecompany is an independent game studio dedicated to creating timeless, emotionally resonant interactive entertainment that inspires human connection worldwide. - **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held; last reported funding round in 2022 with $160M investment) - **Headquarters**: Santa Monica, California, United States - **Founded**: 2006 (founded on May 15, 2006) - **Founders**: Jenova Chen, Kellee Santiago ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Video games / Interactive entertainment - **Target customers**: B2C – broad audience of all ages and backgrounds; mobile, console, and PC gamers - **Mission or purpose statement**: “Create timeless entertainment that makes positive change to the human psyche worldwide.” ## Products & Services - **[flOw (2007)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: A downloadable game originally a Flash title, remade for PlayStation Network with enhanced visuals and multiplayer. Focuses on intuitive, meditative gameplay. - **[Flower (2009)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: A PS3 title where the player controls the wind to guide petals through landscapes. Evokes emotions of tranquility and wonder. Inducted into the Smithsonian’s permanent collection. - **[Journey (2012)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: Award-winning PS3 game about a pilgrim crossing a desert towards a mountain. Known for its anonymous multiplayer cooperation and emotional storytelling. - **[Sky: Children of the Light (2019)](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/)**: Free-to-play mobile/console/PC game (spiritual successor to Journey). Players explore magical realms, fly using capes, and meet other players. Available on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Windows. Reached 100 million installations by May 2021. Chosen as Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year 2019. - **Upcoming fifth game (in development)**: Described by founder Jenova Chen as “like a theme park” and “the most ambitious game I have built.” ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue – $17.8M (estimated 2025 data); Total Funding – $36.1M per LinkedIn (prior rounds) **plus** a $160M investment announced in March 2022 (with Pixar co-founder Edwin Catmull as advisor). (Sources conflict slightly; the $160M appears to be a later, larger round not reflected in the LinkedIn summary) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Benchmark (led Series A), Capital Today (led Series B), Edwin Catmull (advisor, former Pixar co-founder). Past partners include Sony Computer Entertainment (initial contract for three PlayStation Network games). - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 16% YoY to ~198 employees; operates across 15 countries; Sky continues to expand platforms (Windows early access April 2024); active job postings: 24 (yearly trend +4.3%). Announced a new game jam (“thatgamejam”) in June 2025 focused on creativity and emotion. ## Competitive Advantages - **Unique emotional design philosophy**: Games are designed by first mapping out desired player emotions rather than mechanics, creating experiences rarely found in mainstream gaming. - **Artistic credibility and legacy**: flOw, Flower, and Journey are critically acclaimed and exhibited in museums like the Smithsonian. The studio is recognized as a pioneer of art games. - **Broad accessibility**: Games are intuitive, controller-friendly, and designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages and cultures. - **Long-term relationship with a passionate community**: Sky has a dedicated player base with millions of installations, supported by live operations and regular content updates. - **Creative autonomy**: The company prioritizes innovation over blockbuster financial pressure, enabling risk-taking on emotionally rich projects. ## Strategic Focus - **Expanding Sky: Children of the Light** – continued platform releases, live content, and regional brand growth (e.g., dedicated brand managers for Indonesia, China). - **Developing the next-generation title** – described as “the most ambitious” yet, with a theme-park-like scale. - **Deepening AI and machine learning capabilities** – open positions for Senior Machine Learning Engineer and Full-stack Engineer (AI application focused) indicate investment in AI-driven gameplay or operations. - **Fostering internal creativity** – initiatives like thatgamejam encourage experimentation across the studio. - **Strengthening global presence** – operating in 15 countries with localized teams for publishing, support, and marketing. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: The studio describes itself as “compassionate, creative” and values “integrity and personal growth within an environment of intense collaboration and experimentation.” Employee rating on LinkedIn: 4.2/5.0 (11 reviews), with Culture score 4.3, Work-Life 4.2, Compensation 4.2, Career 4.1. - **Remote/Hybrid/Office Policy**: Not explicitly stated in provided sources, but headquarters in Santa Monica, California is a physical studio. The company previously planned a second studio in SF Bay Area (cancelled due to COVID) and now operates distributed across 15 countries, suggesting flexible/remote options are possible. - **Notable Perks & Engineering Culture**: Emphasis on “making magic” and pushing artistic boundaries; tech stack includes Kubernetes, Docker, Prometheus, Protobuf, Tableau, microservices, and GitHub. Employees come from top entertainment/tech companies (Pixar, Blizzard, Riot Games, Amazon, Unity, etc.), indicating a high-caliber peer group. - **Growth Opportunity**: With 24 active job postings (including Engineering, AI, Art, Marketing, Data) and a yearly hiring trend +4.3%, the studio is expanding. Roles such as Senior Data Analyst, Senior Machine Learning Engineer, and 3D Environment Artist signal opportunities to work on flagship products. - **Mission-driven work**: Opportunity to contribute to games that aim to make a positive impact on players’ lives and expand the emotional range of the medium. ## Sources 1. [thatgamecompany.com – Official Site, About, Careers, News](https://thatgamecompany.com/) 2. [thatgamecompany Careers Page](https://thatgamecompany.com/careers/) 3. [LinkedIn Company Profile for thatgamecompany](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thatgamecompany) 4. [Wikipedia – thatgamecompany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThatGameCompany) 5. [thatgamecompany – Our History](https://thatgamecompany.com/our-history/) ## Other roles at thatgamecompany - [Game Engine Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/game-engine-engineer-thatgamecompany-shanghai-b7ge525n3wyc) — Shanghai, China - [3D Character Artist (Mid-Senior)](https://feeny.ai/job/3d-character-artist-mid-senior-thatgamecompany-united-states-hnr65zscpf8x) — United States - [Build Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/build-engineer-thatgamecompany-united-states-188c9cwh2mnb) — United States - [Technical Game Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-game-designer-thatgamecompany-shanghai-gm4tx8xkhkr4) — Shanghai, China - [Marketing Lead - Europe](https://feeny.ai/job/marketing-lead-europe-thatgamecompany-london-7h8tx7wgfvxj) — London, United Kingdom - [Regional Creative Lead, NA, EMEA & LATAM](https://feeny.ai/job/regional-creative-lead-na-emea-latam-thatgamecompany-united-states-k4ks4fj458x4) — United States - [UGC & Creator Community Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/ugc-creator-community-specialist-thatgamecompany-shanghai-sfsxkhkb70sp) — Shanghai, China - [IP & Experiential Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/ip-experiential-marketing-manager-thatgamecompany-shanghai-sqyjzh1vnj0e) — Shanghai, China - [Senior/Principal Graphics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-principal-graphics-engineer-thatgamecompany-united-states-7ds3q5qbpk3y) — United States - [Senior Graphics Engineer,Shanghai](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-graphics-engineer-shanghai-thatgamecompany-shanghai-djy8f8bacxbt) — Shanghai, China