[PAID] Afterlight Games — Unreal Engine 5 C++ Gameplay Engineers | Freelance / Contract | Remote
Afterlight Games is seeking experienced Unreal Engine 5 developers for upcoming paid freelance/contract engineering work on Afterlight, an ambitious open-world fantasy life game currently in early development. 
We are an independent, pre-revenue studio with a functioning packaged Unreal Engine prototype. Our current prototype centers on Mermaid gameplay and aquatic locomotion, including underwater and surface movement, vertical swimming, acceleration/braking, currents, waterline transitions, breaching, and re-entry.
We are now building a roster of qualified Unreal developers for clearly defined engineering milestones as development progresses.
We’re particularly interested in experience with:
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Unreal Engine 5
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Strong C++ development
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C++ / Blueprint architecture
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ACharacterandUCharacterMovementComponent -
Custom character movement and traversal
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Swimming, flying, or other nonstandard locomotion
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Multiplayer replication
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Server-authoritative gameplay
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Network prediction and correction
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Custom movement serialization / saved moves
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Dedicated-server development
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Gameplay systems architecture
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AI / NPC systems
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Interaction systems
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Performance profiling and optimization
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Open-world systems / World Partition
You do not need to specialize in every area above. We are interested in developers with strong specialties as well as experienced Unreal generalists.
Current project status
Afterlight is beyond the concept-only stage.
We currently have a packaged UE5 C++ prototype demonstrating our foundational Mermaid locomotion and water gameplay. Development is still early, and significant gameplay, multiplayer, world, character, and production systems remain to be built.
Our intention is to expand the project through controlled technical milestones rather than immediately assembling a large full-time development team.
Engagement structure
This is paid freelance/contract work, not a salaried employment position.
Afterlight Games is currently an early-development, pre-revenue independent studio. Contractors will be considered for specific, defined scopes based on project priorities, technical fit, availability, and budget.
Depending on the work, we are open to:
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Hourly rates
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Day rates
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Fixed-price milestones
We do not expect candidates to work for free.
No ongoing employment, minimum volume of work, equity, revenue participation, or future engagement is guaranteed by this listing.
What to send
If interested, please include:
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Your Unreal Engine experience and versions used
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C++ versus Blueprint experience
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Your strongest Unreal development areas
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Relevant shipped or substantial projects
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Experience with custom movement and/or multiplayer, if applicable
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Portfolio, GitHub, LinkedIn, website, or gameplay footage
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Your hourly/day rate or preferred milestone structure
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Current availability and timezone
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Earliest potential start date
For multiplayer-focused applicants, please specifically mention any experience with replication, Character Movement networking, prediction/correction, server authority, custom serialization, and dedicated servers.
About Afterlight
Afterlight is an open-world fantasy life game built around the fantasy of inhabiting a living world rather than simply moving through one.
Our first playable fantasy centers on Mermaids and Humans, with additional species and regions planned as development expands.
We are pursuing a high-fidelity visual and gameplay experience, with aquatic movement and the underwater world serving as major foundations of the project.
Remote — International applicants welcome
If your experience aligns with what we’re building, we’d be happy to hear from you.
This thread is not being monitored please email us at: AfterlightGamez (at) gmail.com