Steel City Interactive Ltd

A leading video game company in Sheffield is looking for a Senior Animation Programmer to enhance character animations in their upcoming boxing game. Candidates should have AAA experience in Unreal Engine and expertise in physics programming. The role involves designing physics systems, integrating them with animations, and optimizing performance. This opportunity supports both onsite and remote work arrangements and offers a vibrant team culture as well as comprehensive benefits, promoting a healthy work-life balance.

About Steel City Interactive SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into 'Undisputed', the first major boxing video game in over a decade. SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We're a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other. Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before. The Role You are a highly experienced Animation Programmer, having worked on AAA titles within Unreal Engine, where you showcased your skills in perfecting physics-driven character animations and seamless integration with animation pipelines to deliver immersive, realistic gameplay experiences. We're looking for a Senior Animation Programmer to help shape the future of our game. You'll be responsible for the development of the character animation features for our game, optimising and maintaining the physical simulation and animation integration of our product to AAA fidelity. You will be working in collaboration with a highly talented, diverse team to create world class character-based gameplay. This role can be based onsite at one of our 2 offices in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, hybrid or fully remote. Responsibilities Design, implement, and maintain our character physics systems using UE's Chaos Physics engine, including rigid-body dynamics, high fidelity impact collisions, and ragdoll effects tailored to realistic human characters. Integrate physics with animation systems, utilizing animation montages, blend shapes and IK solvers. Optimize fixed-/sub-step physics frames for precise simulations, and procedural animations to achieve lifelike character responses (e.g. punches, dodges, and falls in a 60fps multiplayer boxing match context). Collaborate on animation pipelines, incorporating tools like Motion Matching for fluid animation blending, Control Rig for real time rigging, MetaHuman for high fidelity character models, and customizing ML Deformers for advanced muscle and skin deformations. Optimize general physics and animation performance through LODding and multi threading or asynchronous strategies, debugging concurrency issues, and ensuring smooth integration & performance across consoles and PC. Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to physics animation interactions, such as joint deformations, corrective expressions, and foot sliding. Prototype new features for character interactions, like soft body impacts and multiplayer synchronization of character physics states. Contribute to code reviews, best practices, and documentation for the physics and animation teams. Stay current with Unreal Engine updates and emerging technologies in character simulation, and the Chaos Physics engine. Knowledge, Skills & Experience Proven Experience in character physics programming Deep knowledge of key technologies used in character physics and animation for AAA games, such as C++ and Unreal Engine tools. Experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5 physics and animation pipelines. An eye for realistic motion - the ability to discuss with animators and gameplay designers what works dynamically and how to make it fit within our game. Proven experience with engine-level debugging and performance optimisation. Strong understanding of character movement dynamics, 3D maths and data structures. Strong understanding of the underlying (UE) engine structures and techniques. Solid understanding of software architecture and engineering best practices. Excellent communication and documentation skills. Self-driven with a proactive mindset and attention to detail. A genuine passion for games and game development. What we Offer Healthy work-life balance: 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days. Christmas shut down Holiday exchange programme Flexible working hours & pattern (Certain Hybrid models available) Support for family life: Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility requirements) Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental Great office environment: Friendly studios based in Sheffield and Leamington, with free snacks, fruit and drinks! Free parking - At our Sheffield site Health & wellbeing support: Company sick pay 2 days Wellbeing Days leave per year Access to 24/7 doctors Employee Assistance Programme Learning support: Learning days Additional financial support: Technology scheme (salary sacrifice up to £750) Relocation benefits (subject to eligibility requirements) Electric Car Vehicle Scheme (subject to eligibility requirements) Discretionary Bonus Connection and perks: Wrap parties & company paid outings Individual entertainment budget to cover team events Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation. If you're excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don't meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you - please let us know about the value you would bring in your application. NOTICE TO APPLICANTS Please be aware that all applications for roles submitted through our website will be managed by our external recruitment partner, Amiqus. While they will handle the processing and management of your application, your data will remain securely stored within our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal information. By submitting your CV through our website, you give your permission for your application to be managed by Amiqus and to be contacted by them on SCI's behalf.

Steel City Interactive Ltd in Sheffield is seeking an experienced Gameplay Engineer to enhance the boxing game, Undisputed. The role focuses on developing and optimizing UI and gameplay systems in Unreal Engine, ensuring intuitive player experiences across various game modes. Join a diverse team and contribute to building engaging player-facing features either onsite, hybrid, or fully remote. Enjoy a supportive work environment offering generous leave and family benefits.

About Steel City Interactive SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into 'Undisputed', the first major boxing video game in over a decade. SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We're a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other. Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before. The Role You are an experienced Gameplay Engineer with a strong focus on UI and front-end game systems, having worked on player facing features within Unreal Engine using C++, UMG and Common UI as part of scalable cross platform interface development. You are comfortable working within established gameplay architectures, contributing by building, refining, and optimising systems that support core game flows, progression, and player interaction. We're looking for a talented Engineer to help shape the future of our boxing game, Undisputed. As we continue development in UE5, you'll be responsible for building, refining, and optimising UI and gameplay systems, ensuring intuitive, responsive player experiences across menus, game modes, stats, and progression. These systems are data driven and interconnected, requiring careful handling of state, flow, and consistency across the player journey. You will be working in collaboration with a highly talented, diverse team to create world class player facing features, with a hands on focus on usability, performance, and system robustness. This role can be based onsite at one of our 2 offices in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, hybrid or fully remote. Responsibilities Build, refine, and optimise player facing systems including UI, game modes, progression, and stat tracking. Develop responsive, intuitive interfaces using UMG and Common UI, ensuring clarity, consistency, and a high standard of usability. Implement and maintain data driven systems that support game flow, player progression, and feature scalability. Work within established architectures to extend and improve gameplay systems, ensuring reliability, maintainability, and consistency. Integrate gameplay systems with wider game features, ensuring cohesive behaviour across the player experience. Manage and maintain consistent game state across UI flows, game modes, and progression systems. Ensure correctness, consistency, and reliability of gameplay systems across a wide range of scenarios and edge cases. Optimise systems to ensure efficient performance and responsiveness across all player facing features. Identify, debug, and resolve issues across UI and gameplay systems, maintaining a high level of quality and polish. Take ownership of system quality, ensuring a robust and polished player experience. Collaborate closely with design, art, and engineering to deliver cohesive, high quality features. Communicate progress and technical considerations clearly, supporting team alignment and delivery. Contribute to the ongoing improvement of workflows, tools, and technical approaches within gameplay systems. Knowledge, Skills & Experience Strong experience developing gameplay systems in Unreal Engine using C++. Experience building UI using UMG, with a solid understanding of layout, flow, and responsiveness. Working knowledge of Common UI, with experience building scalable cross platform UI flows and input handling management. Good understanding of data driven development and how to structure and maintain gameplay data. Strong understanding of gameplay systems architecture and how player facing systems integrate into the wider game. Experience working within and extending established architectures while maintaining code quality and stability. Ability to write clean, maintainable, and efficient code within a shared codebase. Applies sound technical judgement when implementing and refining gameplay systems. Experience identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks in UI and gameplay systems. Ability to reason about complex systems, including state management, data flow, and feature interactions. Attention to detail in handling edge cases and ensuring consistent behaviour across varied gameplay scenarios. Good communication and documentation skills, with the ability to work effectively with designers and artists and clearly explain constraints and trade offs. Self driven, proactive, and detail oriented. Good problem solving ability, with a focus on player experience and usability. Familiarity with debugging and profiling tools in Unreal Engine. Understanding of performance considerations for UI and gameplay systems. What we Offer Healthy work life balance: 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days. Christmas shut down Holiday exchange programme Flexible working hours & pattern (Certain Hybrid models available) Support for family life: Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility requirements) Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental Great office environment: Friendly studios based in Sheffield and Leamington, with free snacks, fruit and drinks! Free parking - At our Sheffield site Health & wellbeing support: Company sick pay 2 days Wellbeing Days leave per year Access to 24/7 doctors Employee Assistance Programme Learning support: Learning days Additional financial support: Technology scheme (salary sacrifice up to £750) Relocation benefits (subject to eligibility requirements) Electric Car Vehicle Scheme (subject to eligibility requirements) Discretionary Bonus Connection and perks: Wrap parties & company paid outings Individual entertainment budget to cover team events Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation. If you're excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don't meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you - please let us know about the value you would bring in your application. NOTICE TO APPLICANTS Please be aware that all applications for roles submitted through our website will be managed by our external recruitment partner, Amiqus. While they will handle the processing and management of your application, your data will remain securely stored within our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal information. By submitting your CV through our website, you give your permission for your application to be managed by Amiqus and to be contacted by them on SCI's behalf.

About Steel City Interactive SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into 'Undisputed', the first major boxing video game in over a decade. SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We're a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other. Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before. The Role You are an experienced Gameplay Network Engineer with a strong focus on implementing and optimising replication systems, with experience working on multiplayer titles in Unreal Engine using C++. You're comfortable working within established networking architectures, contributing to the performance, reliability, and correctness of networked gameplay systems. We're looking for a talented Engineer to help shape the future of our multiplayer boxing game, Undisputed. As we move to UE5, you'll play a key role in building, refining, and optimising replication systems to support fast, responsive two-player gameplay while maintaining AAA quality. The game uses a peer-to-peer networking model, requiring thoughtful handling of latency, synchronization, and state consistency between clients. You'll work closely with a highly skilled, diverse team to deliver world-class networked gameplay, with a hands on focus on replication performance and stability, and ownership of features through integration, iteration, and ongoing support. This role can be based onsite at one of our 2 offices in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, hybrid or fully remote. Responsibilities Implement, maintain, and optimise network systems, with a focus on Unreal Engine's replication framework and runtime performance. Improve replication efficiency, correctness, and bandwidth usage within existing systems. Optimise network data transmission to minimise latency, focusing on efficient handling of player inputs to drive responsive character movement and interactions. Collaborate with gameplay and server teams to integrate networked systems with physics and animation pipelines, ensuring stable and consistent state synchronisation across clients, with clear runtime contracts between systems. Implement and refine replication techniques such as prioritisation, delta compression, and prediction to support responsive multiplayer gameplay, with a focus on measurable improvements. Debug and resolve network related issues, including desyncs, packet loss, and latency spikes, using profiling and debugging tools, and contribute fixes that improve overall system robustness. Optimise network performance for cross platform play (console and PC), ensuring reliability under a range of network conditions. Contribute to code reviews, best practices, and technical documentation, producing clear and maintainable code and supporting shared understanding across the team. Stay up to date with Unreal Engine networking developments and relevant multiplayer technologies. Knowledge, Skills & Experience Experience in gameplay network programming within Unreal Engine, using C++ as a primary language. Strong understanding of Unreal Engine's networking architecture, including replication and RPCs, with hands on experience implementing and optimising systems in production. Experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5 networking tools and pipelines. Solid understanding of network protocols (e.g. UDP, TCP) and techniques for optimising real time game data. Experience debugging, profiling, and optimising networked systems for low latency gameplay, including identifying root causes of desyncs and synchronisation issues. Strong understanding of 3D maths, data structures, and multiplayer synchronisation techniques. Solid grasp of software architecture and engineering best practices, applied to maintain stability and scalability. Good communication and documentation skills, with the ability to work effectively with gameplay engineers and technical designers and clearly explain constraints and trade-offs. Self driven, proactive, and detail oriented. Experience with rollback Netcode is a plus. Experience working on competitive multiplayer titles is beneficial. What we Offer 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days. Christmas shut down. Holiday exchange programme. Flexible working hours & pattern (Certain Hybrid models available). Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility requirements). Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental. Friendly studios based in Sheffield and Leamington, with free snacks, fruit and drinks! Free parking - At our Sheffield site. Company sick pay. 2 days Wellbeing Days leave per year. Access to 24/7 doctors. Employee Assistance Programme. Learning days. Technology scheme (salary sacrifice up to £750). Relocation benefits (subject to eligibility requirements). Electric Car Vehicle Scheme (subject to eligibility requirements). Discretionary Bonus. Wrap parties & company paid outings. Individual entertainment budget to cover team events. Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation.

A prominent video game development studio in the UK is seeking a Specialist Gameplay AI Programmer to enhance their boxing game, 'Undisputed'. The ideal candidate will have AI programming experience, particularly with Unreal Engine, to develop character AI systems. The role offers flexible working arrangements, including onsite and remote options, and is situated in Sheffield or Leamington Spa. The company values a healthy work-life balance and provides various employee benefits.

Steel City Interactive Ltd is looking for an experienced Gameplay Network Engineer to join their team in Sheffield. The successful candidate will focus on implementing and optimising networking systems for their multiplayer boxing game, 'Undisputed'. Responsibilities include debugging network issues and collaborating closely with various teams to deliver quality gameplay. The position offers various benefits including flexible working options, annual leave that increases with service, and a friendly work environment with free snacks and drinks.

About Steel City Interactive SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into 'Undisputed', the first major boxing video game in over a decade. SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We're a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other. Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before. The Role You are an experienced Gameplay AI Programmer, having worked on AAA titles within Unreal Engine, where you showcased your skills in NPC controls. We're looking for a Specialist Gameplay AI Programmer to help shape the future of our game. You'll be responsible for the development of the character AI for our game, optimising and maintaining the AI systems of our product to AAA fidelity. You will be working in collaboration with a highly talented, diverse team to create world-class character-based gameplay. This role can be based onsite at one of our 2 offices in Sheffield or Leamington Spa, hybrid or fully remote. Responsibilities Design, implement, and maintain our AI systems using UE's native tools (State Trees, Blackboards, Perception systems) as appropriate, and extending them when needed. Create believable boxing opponents with advanced decision-making for attack, defence, ring movement, stamina management, and adaptive strategies. Integrate AI systems with the existing controls of the game to provide a balanced, responsive, and controlled challenge. Collaborate with designers to define, implement, and refine AI designs into manageable tools and reliable outcomes. Collaborate with the Gameplay, Tools, and Networking teams to ensure seamless integration with animation, physics, networking, and replay functionalities. Optimize and balance AI systems to deliver reactive, efficient, and fair opponents across difficulty levels and game modes. Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to AI systems. Prototype new design ideas with the design team to prove the value of possible updates. Contribute to code reviews, best practices, and documentation for the combat / gameplay teams. Stay current with Unreal Engine updates and emerging technologies in Character / AI Control (e.g. Behaviour & State Trees/Mover 2.0 / Motion Matching) Knowledge, Skills & Experience Proven experience in AI programming for games. Experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5 AI systems (Behaviour/State Trees, Perception strongly preferred). Strong understanding of UE Replication patterns (Server/Client AND Peer-to-Peer) desired. An eye for realistic opponent behaviour - the ability to discuss with designers and animators what makes a fight feel authentic. Strong understanding of the underlying (UE) engine structures and techniques. Solid understanding of software architecture and engineering best practices. Excellent communication and documentation skills. Self-driven with a proactive mindset and attention to detail. A genuine passion for games and game development. Experience in combat, fighting, or sports titles is a big bonus. Familiarity with multiplayer AI considerations (e.g. determinism for rollback/match replays) is a bonus. What we offer Healthy work-life balance: 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days. Christmas shut down Holiday exchange programme Flexible working hours & pattern (Certain Hybrid models available) Support for family life: Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility requirements) Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental Great office environment: Friendly studios based in Sheffield and Leamington, with free snacks, fruit and drinks! Free parking - At our Sheffield site Health & wellbeing support: Company sick pay 2 days Wellbeing Days leave per year Access to 24/7 doctors Employee Assistance Programme Learning support: Learning days Additional financial support: Technology scheme (salary sacrifice up to £750) Relocation benefits (subject to eligibility requirements) Electric Car Vehicle Scheme (subject to eligibility requirements) Discretionary Bonus Connection and perks: Wrap parties & company paid outings Individual entertainment budget to cover team events Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation. If you're excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don't meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you - please let us know about the value you would bring in your application.