Backend Programmer (Game Team)

Summary: 

For over 30 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Our most recent game, The Last of Us Part II, has received over 300 Game of the Year awards and three of our games are among the top 10 highest scored games on the PlayStation 4. As a part of the Naughty Dog legacy, you’ll become a part of continuing the development of extraordinary and enduring experiences for a broad, global range of audiences.

As a Backend Programmer, you will be a part of a team dedicated to building connected services for players, providing the ecosystem that surrounds the player experience. You will have the freedom and responsibility to contribute to overall architecture plans. You will write code for handling a large amount of data, including player progression, customization, and analytics, with an eye toward visibility for both players and the development team. With the growth of micro-services, you will help write code for a variety of backend applications and develop deployment strategies to maximize efficiency. We’re looking for someone passionate about creating a social experience for players to connect with one another and enjoy the game we have poured our hearts into.

Responsibilities: 

  • Work closely with the Design team to take ideas for creating the ecosystem and turn them into features and services
  • Write code for storing and retrieving large amounts of data, making this data easily surfaced to both players and developers
  • Build data entry tools for designers to iterate on parts of the system such as the store
  • Use profiling and debugging tools to iterate on services to ensure availability and efficiency

Requirements & Skills: 

  • Experience writing code in Python, Java, C++, C#, Ruby, Go, or any of the many languages used to build back-end services
  • Strong understanding of database design and query optimizations using both relational databases, such as MySql, and key-value stores, such as Redis
  • Knowledge in networking with an understanding of latency and bandwidth
  • Helped deploy a live service and/or was responsible for helping to maintain one

Pluses:

  • Strong knowledge of C and C++
  • Passion for Online Games

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates should expect to be given a technical interview.

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Current Openings

Job Opportunities

If you think you have what it takes to join our talented Kennel, please review our current openings.

If you don’t see your desired position listed—don’t fret! Just apply under the General Application tab and send us your resume, along with a link to your portfolio or demo reel (if applicable). Please do not send us any unsolicited game ideas, scripts, treatments, code, or other creative works. Sorry, Naughty Dog does not offer any internships or student work-study opportunities at this time.

Note to Recruiters and Placement Agencies: We do not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website or to any of our employees. We will not pay fees to any third party agency, outside recruiter or firm without a mutually agreed-upon contract and will not be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. Unsolicited resumes received will be considered our property and will be processed accordingly.

It is the policy of Sony Interactive Entertainment, LLC. (SIE) to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. SIE does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. SIE also makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled employees.

The Recruiting Process

We feel it is important to let you know how the recruiting process works here at Naughty Dog. Here is what you can expect from us:

  1. Upon submission, you will receive an automated message stating your resume has been received and will be reviewed thoroughly by our recruiting team.
  2. Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond directly to each candidate.
  3. If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial phone screen or test.
  4. The next step is a second phone or Teams video interview, or an invite to come out and meet us at the studio.
  5. In the event that we choose not to move forward at any point in the recruiting process, we will let you know.
  6. If your qualifications do not match the criteria of a current position, your resume will be kept on file for future consideration.

Thank you for your interest in Naughty Dog.