Gameplay Programmer job at Old Skull Games, France

Property Details

Company Name Old Skull Games (OSG)

Job Title Senior Unreal Gameplay Programmer

Department Engineering / Programming

Location 35 Rue Louis Guérin, 69100 Villeurbanne (Lyon Area), France

Work Model Hybrid (Mix of in-person and remote work)

Employment Type Full-Time, Permanent Contract (CDI – Contrat à Durée Indéterminée)

Professional Status Executive Status (Statut Cadre)

Experience Level Senior / Lead level (Minimum 10+ years of professional experience)

Core Engine & Tools Unreal Engine (C++ / C# scripting automation), Unity (as a minor plus)

Target Start Date As soon as possible (Immediate availability preferred)

Language Requirements Fluency in French is required; English proficiency is a strong plus

Company Description

Welcome to Old Skull Games (OSG). We are an independent, passionate video game development studio of approximately 60 exceptionally talented creators. From our modern headquarters in Villeurbanne, we operate a highly dynamic, multi-project development ecosystem, working simultaneously on 3 to 4 distinct titles across Console, PC, and Mobile platforms.

Our portfolio covers a massive spectrum of creative styles and gameplay mechanics—ranging from high-velocity action platformers to punishing roguelites and deeply immersive narrative experiences. This intentional project diversity ensures that our engineering and creative teams experience an incredibly rich, non-repetitive work environment where their skills are consistently challenged and expanded.

Our Core Philosophy & Organizational Culture

At OSG, our guiding principle is incredibly straightforward: to create exceptional games that players truly love. We accomplish this by operating under highly optimized Agile methodologies. We reject micro-management in favor of true team autonomy. Our multi-disciplinary production pods are fully self-governing; they make their own architectural and creative decisions, assume holistic responsibility for their project results, and receive comprehensive administrative, technological, and coaching support from our leadership team.

To maintain total studio alignment and celebrate transparent victories, we utilize the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework. At OSG, strategy is not locked behind closed doors—every single employee, including our senior engineering staff, actively participates in defining, measuring, and executing our studio-wide key objectives. We pride ourselves on cultivating a warm, highly motivating, and collaborative environment built around continuous learning, mutual respect, and genuine human connection.

We are seeking an elite, deeply experienced Senior Unreal Gameplay Programmer to integrate directly into our core engineering division. In this vital role, you will become a foundational architectural voice, collaborating closely with an enthusiastic, tight-knit group of game designers, programmers, technical artists, animators, and our Game Director to turn abstract creative visions into tight, responsive, and robust gameplay mechanics.

As a veteran developer, you understand that great programming is a balance between raw visual responsiveness (game feel) and structural code integrity. You will be responsible for defining how code is written, organized, and deployed across our Unreal-powered projects. This role demands a high degree of autonomy, technical rigor, and a natural passion for mentorship—you will actively guide junior and intermediate programmers, helping to elevate the collective technical capabilities of Old Skull Games.

Key Responsibilities as Gameplay Programmer

1. Architecture & Gameplay Engineering

• Systemic Design: Architect, build, and maintain highly robust, modular, and scalable gameplay systems within Unreal Engine that can adapt cleanly to shifting production requirements.
• Technical Structural Design: Formulate and document the core technical architecture of our games, ensuring that underlying codebase structures remain clean, high-performing, and easy to navigate for the entire team.
• Feature Translation: Deconstruct complex game design documents and director intentions into elegant, practical technical features, preserving the creative heart of the mechanics while honoring rigid hardware limits.

2. Code Quality & Pipeline Stewardship

• Rigor Management: Maintain and champion a rigorously structured code environment across the entire programming department.
• Code Reviews: Lead strict code review sessions, establishing baseline programming conventions, debugging anomalies, and ensuring that software architecture scales uniformly.
• Documentation: A