Senior Games Developer

Overview

Arkadium is seeking an experienced Senior Games Developer to support one of our top clients, Microsoft, on a suite of top-performing games collaborating with the Microsoft Casual Games team.

The Microsoft Casual Games (MCG) Studio is focused on delivering the best casual games for Windows, Web, and Mobile platforms. Dedicated to delivering quality game experiences to worldwide fans. In this role you will be accountable for building performant, scalable, and maintainable code that supports core game systems and feature delivery. You’ll partner with cross-functional teams to enhance player experiences through clean architecture, reusability, and continuous technical improvement.

Candidates must be available to work standard hours from 09:00 to 18:00 in the Western European Time (WET) zone — (Portugal time zone), where most of the Engineering and Product teams are based.

Additionally, candidates must be open to occasionally working U.S. hours to accommodate key cross-timezone meetings.

For candidates not residing in Portugal, you will be onboarded as a contractor through our international payroll provider.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement software solutions that meet product requirements, quality standards, and production timelines
• Build reusable code components to increase development velocity, consistency, and maintainability
• Contribute to technical architecture, implementing scalable and reliable systems across features and core gameplay
• Uphold code quality by following architectural guidelines and conducting rigorous pre-deployment testing and unit tests
• Partner with Product and QA to continuously iterate and ship features that improve player experience and product KPIs
• Evaluate and integrate new technologies or tools to enhance development efficiency and game performance
• Work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to collaborative problem-solving and process improvements
• Clarify requirements and success criteria proactively to ensure shared understanding across the development cycle

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, OR equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience in game development, including strong experience in casual, mobile, or cross-platform games
• Proficiency in C#, C++, or similar object-oriented programming languages
• Deep understanding of software architecture, design patterns, and scalable system design
• Experience working in Agile development teams with collaborative tools (e.g., Jira, Git, CI/CD pipelines)
• Strong testing discipline, including unit, integration, and performance testing
• Solid debugging, optimization, and profiling skills across platforms

Nice to Have

• Experience with Unity or comparable game engines
• Familiarity with LiveOps, telemetry, and feature experimentation pipelines
• Knowledge of web services, REST APIs, and backend systems integration
• Exposure to multiplayer, networking, or cross-device synchronization challenges

We offer:

• Competitive compensation with structured performance and career development check-ins
• Health insurance
• Additional budget for conferences you are interested in
• Personal development budget to fuel your passions and desire to learn (Arkadians are taking classes in not only Excel and leadership, but also interior design and even swimming!)
• Time off from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day so we can all enjoy the holidays
• A unique culture of transparency, true teamwork and fun
• Summer Fridays: Fridays off throughout the Summer to have more fun in the sun!

The above benefits may vary depending on location or country.