POSITION SUMMARY

Here at TapBlaze, we work hard to make great, creative games that players will remember for decades. We are looking for an experienced backend engineer to help us scale our current game service backend. Our game "Good Pizza, Great Pizza" has reached over 300 million downloads and 2 million DAU, which has been taxing our game servers and backend operations. We are developing more online features and the backend needs to be further developed/optimized to handle player connections/requests.

You will work on all aspects of the game backend, from designing protocols to writing game logic to deploying and monitoring the servers. Building systems with security and scalability in mind is a must.

ABOUT TAPBLAZE

Here at TAPBLAZE, our mission is to make great games for players that will be remembered for decades. As a small team, we have created games such as "Good Pizza, Great Pizza" that have been downloaded more than 300 million times across the globe, giving a fun, innovative experience to millions of players every day. Our core values are the reason we have found success as an independent studio and guide our hiring process: we are ambitious, disciplined, ownership-minded, results oriented, and extraordinary. We operate internationally and we are growing day by day.

We seeking individuals that have the same core values and are looking to level up themselves, the games they work on and the company they work for. Only with great attention to details can this be achieved - please mention "beauty is in the details" in your cover letter.

OBJECTIVES

• Own entire backend architecture and processes for company's games
• Maintain and extend the game's current async backend architecture
• Build new backend systems for upcoming gameplay features
• Develop management tools for player support and game features that rely on the backend
• Perform load testing, participate in code reviews, write unit tests, and conduct troubleshooting to ensure uptime for live systems
• Scale backend to handle 250,000+ users/min
• Improve and/or migrate backend code to improve response times
• Improve game security via authoritative model
• Develop backend redundancy and backup process to mitigate downtime
• Improve player data storage and retrieval
• Design and deploy AWS backend to scale and for redundancy
• Work with server admins to upgrade and maintain servers

COMPETENCIES

• Ability to maintain, scale and troubleshoot backend systems based on Linux, PHP and MySQL
• Proficiency in one of the following languages: Java, Go or C++ with working knowledge of Python, PHP, SQL
• MySQL, master/slave setup, sharding
• Ability to work in a fast-paced hybrid environment and handle stress appropriately and/or ability to solve practical problems and be sufficiently adaptable to handle dynamic situations with little advance notice
• Thorough understanding of server architecture and networking protocols used for multiplayer games
• Able to come up with efficient solutions for engineering issues
• Prioritize work based on the player view point, company objectives, and timelines
• Ability to maintain a sense of urgency while remaining detail-oriented
• Contribute to the product and company more than just developing tasks, we are very open to suggestions or improvements

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 3+ years of multiplayer gameplay system design experience on a live, commercial game
• Experience with maintaining and scaling large MySQL databases
• Experience with backend security, scalability, and database design paradigms
• Experience with PHP, MySQL, and Amazon AWS; experience with C/C++ or Rust is a plus
• Pluses: Bachelor or Master (BS/MS) degree in a STEM-related field

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Los Angeles, CA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work
• Prolonged period of time sitting at a desk and computer

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

As an equal opportunity employer committed to meeting the needs of a multigenerational and multicultural workforce TAPBLAZE recognizes that a diverse staff, reflective of our community, is an integral and welcome part of a successful and ethical business. We hire local talent at all levels regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, and actively foster inclusion in all forms both within our company and across interactions with vendors and partners.

If this position caught your eye, send us your resume! For best consideration, include a cover letter in your application explaining why you would be a great fit.