UI ENGINEER / GAME SYSTEMS

Hey, I'm José!

Senior Software Engineer based in Texas. My main focus right now is Unreal Engine UI and gameplay systems, UMG, CommonUI, MVVM, C++, but I've worked the full stack over the years: REST APIs, cloud backends, mobile games, CI/CD pipelines, and enterprise web apps. I've shipped titles on Steam, PS4, and PS5.

Most of my recent work has been in Unreal Engine at studios like Airship Syndicate, Moonshot Games, and Mob Entertainment. Before the game dev focus I spent years building backend systems in .NET and Node.js, and I still flip between those worlds without much friction.

I work fully remote and have for years. Fluent in English and Spanish.

Looking for: Senior roles in game development (Unreal UI, gameplay systems, backend integration) or software engineering roles where deep C++ or C# experience matters.

Available for Work
View Projects Download Resume
José M. Nieves
Games Shipped Wildgate Wayfinder Star Trek: Timelines Twitch Sings Poptropica Worlds SkyTrak
Character Bio

About Me

I grew up in Puerto Rico writing code on machines that shouldn't have run what I was asking them to run. That stubbornness carried me through a Computer Science degree at Universidad de Puerto Rico, a Master's Certificate at SMU Guildhall, and a career building software that ships.

Game development found me and never let go. My work sits at the seam between engineering and player experience, specifically the UI systems, widget architectures, and game-to-player data pipelines that make a game feel polished or not. Currently that means Unreal Engine 5, CommonUI, and MVVM. Before that it was a long run of Unity and C# across mobile, web, and desktop titles.

Outside of the UI stack, I've helped ship tools migrations (Perforce to GitHub), rebuilt CI/CD pipelines in GitHub Actions, and wired up third-party commerce and authentication backends. I use GitHub Copilot daily and take AI tooling seriously, but I still read every line before it merges.

Remote since before it was normal. Bilingual in English and Spanish. Based in Austin, TX. Looking for senior Unreal Engine and software engineering roles.

Get In Touch Download Resume
Location Austin, TX
Focus UE5 • CommonUI • MVVM
Prev. Stack Unity • C# • Node.js
Languages English • Español
Work Mode Remote
Education SMU Guildhall • UPR CS
Work History

Featured Projects

A selection of shipped titles and professional work.

Mob Entertainment - Unannounced
Mob Entertainment • 2025 (Contract)

Unannounced Game NDA

UE5 C++ CommonUI MVVM Blueprints
RoleUI Engineer
Duration3 months (contract)
EngineUnreal Engine 5
PlatformUnannounced
StatusUnder NDA
  • Translated Figma designs into functional game UI using CommonUI and MVVM design patterns
  • Connected UI widgets to core game systems, maintaining reliable data flow across CommonUI bindings
  • Details under NDA. Screenshots and specifics available on request.

This project is under NDA. Full details available upon request.

Wildgate
Moonshot Games • 2024–2025

Wildgate

UE5 C++ CommonUI MVVM AccelByte PS5 Xbox Steam
RoleSenior UI Engineer
Duration2024–2025
EngineUnreal Engine 5
PlatformPC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
ToolsC++, CommonUI, MVVM, AccelByte, Perforce
  • Built data-driven UMG widgets using CommonUI and MVVM, bridging game systems with UI design requirements
  • Integrated and implemented AccelByte Commerce API for in-game storefront
  • Collaborated with UI designers and artists to scope and deliver new features
Steam Page
Wayfinder
Airship Syndicate • 2022–2023

Wayfinder

Unreal Engine C++ UMG Blueprints PS4 PS5 Steam
RoleSenior UI Engineer
Duration2022–2023
EngineUnreal Engine 4/5
PlatformPC (Steam), PS4, PS5
ToolsC++, UMG, Blueprints, Perforce
  • Designed and implemented the Reward Tower and in-game store features from mockup through live integration
  • Worked with publisher to ensure backend data contracts satisfied feature requirements
  • Moved performance-critical widget logic from Blueprints into reusable C++ to reduce frame hitches
  • Provided code reviews and collaborated with the engineering team on style and best practices
Steam Page
Star Trek Timelines
Wicked Realm Games / Tilting Point • 2020–2022

Star Trek: Timelines

Unity C# Steam iOS Android GitHub Actions LiveOps
RoleSenior Game Engineer
Duration2020–2022
EngineUnity
PlatformPC (Steam), iOS, Android, Facebook Gaming
ToolsC#, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Perforce
  • Maintained and improved content deployment pipelines for the LiveOps team in a bi-weekly cadence
  • Upgraded Ad, Payment, and other third-party Unity SDKs, including full engine version upgrades
  • Helped transition the team from Perforce to GitHub and migrated CI/CD from Jenkins to GitHub Actions
Official Site

Other Projects

Poptropica Worlds
StoryArc Media
Poptropica Worlds
Unity C# iOS Android

Co-designed the Clubhouse player housing system and in-game decoration store.

Play Now
SkyTrak
SportTrak
SkyTrak
Unity C# SQLite iOS

Golf launch monitor companion app. Built the UI, local SQLite database, and server sync API.

Learn More
Open Source
Unity Core Framework
Unity C#

A modular foundation for Unity 3D projects: asset bundles, UI system, audio, input, and factory tools.

GitHub
GitHub

Open Source & Personal Projects

Side projects, tools, and experiments hosted on GitHub.

UnrealGameSync-Git

A Git-based fork of Epic's UnrealGameSync tool, enabling Git workflow integration for Unreal Engine project synchronization.

C++ View Repo
AsyncFlow

C++20 coroutine plugin for Unreal Engine 5. Brings async/await patterns to gameplay code without Blueprint overhead.

C++ View Repo
UnrealCoreFramework

Core Framework for Unreal Engine 5.3+. Provides foundational game systems and patterns for shipping UE5 projects faster.

C++ 6 View Repo
colorful-brackets

IntelliJ IDEA plugin that highlights matching brackets with distinct colors to improve code readability.

Kotlin View Repo
unity-core-project

Core Framework for Unity 3D. Asset bundle loading, UI system, audio, input, and factory tools for faster project starts.

C# 61 View Repo
UnityLogger

A clean wrapper around Unity's Debug.Log system with log levels, categories, and easy filtering.

C# 1 View Repo
Technical Profile

Core Expertise

Technologies, patterns, and platforms I've shipped with.

Gameplay & UI Engineering
Unreal Engine Systems Architecture C++ CommonUI MVVM UMG Blueprints Unity C# GAS (Gameplay Ability System) Actor Components DataAsset / DataTable Widget Profiling
Backend & Services
Node.js AWS Docker SQLite REST APIs AccelByte Authentication Systems LiveOps Pipelines
DevOps & Tools
Git GitHub Actions Perforce Jenkins Visual Studio Rider GitHub Copilot Figma Jira
Get In Touch

Let's Connect

Open to senior Unreal Engine and software engineering roles.

Open to Work Senior Software Engineer • Unreal Engine • UI Systems • Gameplay Engineering
Austin, TX • Remote • EN/ES
jose.nieves@gmail.com