Lead Software Engineer, Online Diablo | Irvine, CA or Albany, NY

We Need You

The minions of hell are growing stronger

Join us as we continue to shape the Diablo universe! Diablo games are action RPG experiences with endless evil to slaughter countless abilities to master nightmarish Dungeons and legendary loot. Come work with us and togetherwellcreate something amazing. Our team of passionate developers is growing.

We are seeking aLead Software EngineerOnlinetoassistin the creation of new ARPG experiences within one of Blizzards most iconic worlds this role you will define and evolve the online architecture that underpins our connected gameplaybuilding systems and services that must be as resilient and scalable as they are creatively empowering.Youllwork in close partnership with designers client engineers and technical stakeholders to turn ambitious gameplay visions into seamless online experiences that feel effortless to players.Werelooking for a leader who excels at navigating complex interwoven technical challenges with clarity and originality and who brings both engineering rigor and a deep passion for crafting playercentric game experiences.

This role offers a flexible hybrid work week with a mix of remote and on-site days.While hybrid is the standard arrangement youre also welcome to workon-sitefull-time if you prefer. Our primary studio locations are in Albany NY and Irvine CA.

Responsibilities:

• Help shape anddrivethe online technical strategy defining architectures and services that support scalable resilient and secure connected gameplay.

• Providetechnical direction mentorship and codelevel guidanceto a team of engineersthatelevateengineering quality and craft.

• Build andmaintainbackend systems that deliver reliable performant online featuresfrom foundational services to gameplaydriven networked interactions.

• Partner closely with design client engineering and cross-team leadershipto bring social multiplayer and servicedriven features from concept to shipped implementation.

• Collaborate with central technology and platform teams to integrate shared servicesalignrequirements and deliver cohesive online experiences across Blizzard ecosystems.

• Work with production and project leadership to prioritize work understand dependencies and ensure smooth execution across teams.

• Champion engineering excellence promoting sound architecture maintainability testing practices and efficient workflows that scale with the project.

MinimumRequirements:

• 10 years ofprofessional experiencedeveloping online orsystems-level features ideally including work on a shipped game or largescale interactive product.

• Deepexpertisein C and strong software engineering fundamentals with the ability to drive architectural decisions and uphold code quality across a team.

• Handson experience with distributed systems or client/server architectures and an understanding of how to build scalable resilient online services.

• Familiarity with backend and data technologies such asRedis Cassandra Pulsar or comparable platforms used in large online ecosystems.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work closely with crossdisciplinary partners and guide technical discussions.

• A track recordof thriving in dynamic iterative development environments balancing longterm technical vision with daytoday delivery.

Bonus:

• Experience shipping and supporting a live globallyscaled online game or service.

• Expertisewith Windows and Linux server environments including performance profiling and operational considerations.

• Handson experience with cloud containerization or virtualization technologies such as Docker Kubernetes or equivalent platforms.

• Strong networking fundamentals including practical experience with TCP UDP and higherlevel protocols used in realtime multiplayer systems.

• Familiarity with largescale backend and data technologies (e.g. SQL Cassandra Pulsar) and how they apply to modern game services.

• Understandingsecurity best practices for online systems including encryption threat mitigation and denialofservice considerations.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft Overwatch Diablo and StarCraft Blizzard Entertainment Inc. () a division of Activision Blizzard which wasacquiredby Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industrys most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years witha track recordthat includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Xbox PlayStation Nintendo Switch iOS and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard Inc. is one of the worlds largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of mediatechnologyand entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty World of Warcraft Overwatch Diablo Candy Crushand Bubble Witch. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrivein order toconnect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physicalemotionaland financial well-being for Every World -wevegot our employees covered!

The video game industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all the qualificationsLet usdecide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification when in fact they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonableassistanceto individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position please email your request to General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminateon the basis ofrace religion color national origin gender sexual orientation gender identity age marital status veteran status or disability status among other characteristics.