Video Games, Entertainment, Consumer Electronics, Software

Technology Engineer (Retro Studios)

Austin, TXOnsiteFull TimePosted 1 month agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

AAA titles
game development
C++
data structures
algorithms
multithreaded programming
systems design
physics
animation
memory systems

Nice to have

engine architecture
large-scale software system design
streaming optimization
storage optimization
file I/O optimization

Role summary

Retro Studios, a Nintendo subsidiary in Austin, Texas, seeks a Technology Engineer with 10+ years of AAA game development experience. The role involves designing, architecting, and implementing core engine and game technologies, focusing on performance, scalability, and maintainability. Responsibilities include driving optimization efforts, collaborating with cross-functional teams, leading technical issue resolution, evaluating new technologies, and contributing to low-level systems. The ideal candidate possesses expert-level C++ proficiency, deep expertise in engine domains, strong systems design skills, and experience mentoring engineers. Preferred expertise includes engine architecture, large-scale system design, and network/storage optimization.

RETRO STUDIOS: Founded in 1998, Retro Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd., and a powerhouse in game development. Working hand-in-hand with Nintendo, we craft award-winning titles for the company's cutting-edge platforms, blending innovation, artistry, and gameplay excellence.

Our home base is Austin, Texas, a vibrant city known for its creative energy, live music, stunning natural scenery, and forward-thinking culture. With year-round sunshine and endless options for outdoor adventures, Austin offers the perfect backdrop for world-class developers to stay inspired, balanced, and at the top of their game.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Design, architect, and implement core engine and game technologies that enable the long-term vision and technical strategy of our games.

Own the technical design and execution of complex systems, balancing performance, scalability, maintainability, and developer productivity.

Drive optimization efforts across engine and gameplay systems to maximize performance on target platforms and hardware architectures.

Collaborate with engineering, design, art, and production to identify technical challenges and develop innovative solutions.

Lead investigation, debugging, and resolution of complex technical issues across engine, tools, and runtime systems.

Evaluate emerging technologies, algorithms, and industry advancements, recommending solutions that improve product quality, development efficiency, and technical capabilities.

Contribute to the development and enhancement of low-level systems, including areas such as physics, animation, memory management, networking, streaming, audio, and content pipelines.

Establish and promote engineering best practices, coding standards, architectural guidelines, and performance goals.

Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers across multiple experience levels through design reviews, code reviews, and knowledge sharing.

Partner with technical leadership to define roadmaps, identify technical risks, and drive execution of strategic initiatives.

Serve as a trusted technical expert and resource across multiple teams and disciplines.

This job description outlines primary duties and requirements and is not intended to identify all tasks that may be performed; individuals occupying the position may be required to perform other duties. The company may modify job duties from time to time, either in practice or in writing.

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS:

Expert-level proficiency in C++ and strong software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, multithreaded programming, and systems design.

Deep expertise in one or more core engine domains such as physics, animation, memory systems, rendering, audio, networking, tools, or content pipelines.

Proven experience architecting and delivering large-scale game systems and technologies for AAA titles.

Strong understanding of modern CPU, GPU, memory, and storage architectures, along with performance optimization techniques.

Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical problems spanning multiple systems and disciplines.

Experience driving technical initiatives and influencing engineering direction across teams.

Proven ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and deliver results in ambiguous or rapidly changing environments.

Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey technical concepts to engineers, content creators, and leadership.

Experience mentoring engineers and contributing to the growth and development of technical teams.

10+ years of professional game development experience, including multiple shipped AAA titles.

PREFFERED:

Expertise in engine architecture and large-scale software system design.

Experience optimizing networking, streaming, storage, or file I/O systems.

Experience working with crash analysis, memory diagnostics, profiling tools, disassembly, and performance investigation workflows.

Experience leading significant technical initiatives or owning critical technology areas throughout the product lifecycle.

Retro Studios is an equal opportunity employer. We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment in service to one another, our products, the diverse consumers we represent, and the communities we call home. We do all of this with kindness, empathy, and respect for each other.

Sample Nintendo interview questions

1
Design a content moderation system.
system designmedium
2
Aggressive Cows Maximize the minimum distance between aggressive cows in stalls. Input: stalls = [0,4,3,7,10,9], cows = 3 Output: 4 Explanation: Placing the cows at positions 0, 4, and 10 yields a maximum possible minimum distance of 4 between any two cows.
codingmedium
3
Determine if a string can be a palindrome after deleting at most one character.
codingmedium
4
Find the top K frequent elements in an array.
codingmedium
5
Determine the number of connected components in an undirected graph.
codingmedium

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