Senior Software Engineer - Game Server & Backend (Java/PHP) (m/f/d) (Berlin)

About Spiele-Palast GmbH

Spiele-Palast GmbH develops and operates successful online card games for browsers and mobile devices. Hundreds of thousands of active players use our platform every day to connect with others and enjoy card games together. Our goal is to build the leading platform for online card games worldwide.

To achieve this, we continuously improve our technology stack and develop reliable, scalable systems that provide smooth and engaging experiences for our players.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Software Engineer – Game Server & Backend (Java/PHP) (m/f/d) to join our development team in Berlin.

In this role, you will work across different parts of our platform, with a strong focus on our Java-based game server systems while also contributing to our PHP-based backend services and infrastructure.

You will design, develop, and optimize real-time multiplayer systems, game logic, backend components, and internal tools. We are building a versatile engineering team where developers can work across different areas of our technology stack and take ownership of complex technical challenges.

You will help ensure that our games provide reliable, scalable, and high-performance experiences for thousands of players every day.

Your Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain our Java-based game server systems.
• Implement and improve core game logic and real-time multiplayer features.
• Develop reliable, low-latency solutions for online gameplay.
• Design and optimize concurrent systems using advanced multithreading concepts.
• Analyze and improve server performance, scalability, and resource utilization.
• Contribute to PHP-based backend services and internal tools.
• Develop and maintain backend functionality using PHP and SQL.
• Design and optimize database interactions and data structures.
• Participate in architectural decisions and technical improvements across the platform.
• Work closely with other developers to deliver new features and improve existing products.
• Analyze and solve complex technical problems in a live production environment.

Your Profile

• Several years of professional experience in software development.
• At least 6 years of professional experience working with Java and PHP .
• Strong experience developing server-side applications with Java and PHP.
• Ability to work across both Java-based game server systems and PHP-based backend services.
• Solid understanding of concurrency, multithreading, and real-time systems.
• Experience building performance-oriented and scalable applications.
• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming and software design principles.
• Good knowledge of SQL, databases, data modeling, and query optimization.
• Ability to write clean, efficient, and maintainable code without relying on heavy frameworks.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems and develop robust solutions.
• Passion for games and interest in multiplayer technologies.
• Very good English communication skills, as English is our team language.

Nice to Have

• Professional experience in the games industry.
• Experience developing multiplayer games or game server technologies.
• Knowledge of networking concepts and client-server architectures.
• Experience with automated testing and test-driven development.
• Experience optimizing and maintaining live production systems.
• Experience with additional programming languages such as Python.
• Good German language skills.

What We Offer

• Work within a small, young, and dynamic team in the heart of Berlin.
• Creative freedom and the opportunity to experiment with new ideas.
• The chance to develop products used by thousands of players every day.
• Flat hierarchies and short decision-making processes.
• A relaxed working atmosphere with flexible working hours.
• The opportunity to work on challenging technical problems with a direct impact on our products.

Position Details

• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Start Date: Immediately