About the role
General Information
- Locations:
- Los Angeles - Chatsworth, California, United States of America
- Vancouver - Great Northern Way, British Columbia, Canada
- Worker Type: Regular Employee
- Studio/Department: EA Studios - Respawn
- Work Model: Hybrid
Job Summary
Founded in 2010, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they’ll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. Respawn Entertainment is the Academy Award-winning studio behind Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Star Wars Jedi titles. Join us to help shape the future of one of the world’s leading live service franchises: Apex Legends.
As a Gameplay & Data Science Engineer, you will drive the Research & Development of advanced bot behaviors and AI frameworks to enhance the Apex Legends experience. You will work at the intersection of data science and gameplay programming, utilizing machine learning and reinforcement learning to create intelligent agents. Working closely with gameplay teams, game designers, and producers, you will implement robust AI systems that improve game quality and player engagement. Your work will ensure our AI is of outstanding quality and provides the best experience for our players.
Responsibilities
- Lead R&D efforts for game bots using machine learning, reinforcement learning, and neural networks to create realistic agent behaviors.
- Design, implement, and maintain gameplay-focused AI frameworks, including Utility AI systems, directly within the game engine.
- Collaborate with gameplay teams and designers to translate creative vision into technical specifications and scalable AI solutions.
- Develop and program algorithms to structure and analyze gameplay data to improve bot performance and decision-making.
- Optimize AI systems and data pipelines to ensure high performance and stability across consoles and dedicated servers.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in data science, machine learning engineering, or gameplay programming within the games industry.
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Python for both engine-level implementation and algorithmic development.
- Hands-on experience with reinforcement learning, supervised/unsupervised learning, and AI architectures like Utility AI.
- Experience with large-scale computing frameworks, big-data techniques, and building scalable data pipelines.
- Solid foundation in mathematics, statistics, and optimization theory applied to game AI and machine learning.
- Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
Compensation and Benefits
Pay Ranges
- British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria): $141,400 - $204,400 CAD
- California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco): $165,000 - $256,000 USD
United States Benefits:
- Paid time off (3 weeks per year to start)
- 80 hours per year of sick time
- 16 paid company holidays per year
- 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- Eligibility for bonus and other incentive programs
Canada Benefits:
- Vacation (3 weeks per year to start)
- 10 days per year of sick time
- Paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary for new child (12 weeks for maternity, 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave)
- Extended health, dental, and vision coverage
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Retirement plan
- Eligibility for bonus and other incentive programs
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life.
Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EA makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.