Big Viking Games Agentic AI Engineer interview questions & guide 2026

The following questions are representative of the rigorous, technical, and architectural focus you will encounter. While every interview process is unique to the specific team and seniority level, these categories illustrate the core competencies Big Viking Games values in its engineering staff.

Technical & Architecture Design

These questions test your ability to build scalable, resilient systems that support agentic workflows. Expect to discuss trade-offs in distributed systems and automation.

• How would you design a fault-tolerant orchestration layer for autonomous agents managing live game servers?
• Describe your approach to monitoring and debugging non-deterministic AI agent behavior in production.

Preparation for Big Viking Games requires a blend of deep technical mastery and a pragmatic, product-focused mindset. You should be ready to defend your architectural choices with data and demonstrate a clear understanding of how your code impacts the end-user experience.

System Design & Scalability – You must be comfortable whiteboarding complex distributed systems. Focus on how your designs handle failure, concurrency, and high-throughput data streams.

Agentic Workflows – This is the core of the role. You will be evaluated on your understanding of how to structure tasks, manage memory, and handle error recovery within an autonomous agent framework.

Operational Excellence – Even in an AI-centric role, the "DevOps" component is vital. Show that you prioritize observability, automated testing, and the ability to maintain production systems under load.

Strategic Communication – You will often work with product managers and other engineering leads. Be prepared to explain the "why" behind your technical decisions, focusing on business outcomes and long-term maintainability.

The interview process at Big Viking Games is designed to assess both your depth of technical expertise and your ability to function within a fast-paced, live-ops environment. The progression typically moves from an initial screening focused on your background and technical interests to deeper, role-specific technical rounds. You can expect a mix of architectural design discussions, deep dives into your previous work, and behavioral assessments that gauge your ability to handle the complexities of AI automation.

The process is characterized by a high degree of collaboration. You will likely interact with senior engineering leadership, which provides an excellent opportunity to understand the company's long-term technical vision. The pace is rigorous but structured, aiming to give you a comprehensive view of the challenges you will solve while allowing you to showcase your problem-solving process in real-time.

This timeline provides a high-level view of the stages you will navigate, from initial engagement to final decision. Use this structure to pace your preparation, ensuring you have enough time to review architectural patterns for technical rounds and prepare your "story" for behavioral discussions. Note that the specific number of technical rounds may vary based on whether you are interviewing for a Senior or Principal-level position.

Distributed Systems & Orchestration

This area is foundational. You are expected to demonstrate how you build systems that don't just work in a vacuum but survive the realities of distributed, high-traffic environments.

Be ready to go over:

• Microservices vs. Event-Driven Architectures – Understanding when to use which for agent communication.
• State Persistence – How to handle long-running agent states in a distributed environment.

As an Agentic AI Engineer, your day-to-day will involve building the "nervous system" of Big Viking Games' live titles. You will define the architecture for autonomous agents that can monitor game health, detect anomalies, and even execute corrective actions without human intervention. This requires a deep understanding of the game’s backend architecture and the ability to write highly efficient, maintainable code.

Collaboration is constant. You will work closely with DevOps teams to ensure your AI infrastructure is scalable and with product teams to define the scope of what these agents should control. You aren't just writing code; you are defining the operating model for the next generation of games. You will be expected to iterate rapidly, using real-time game data to refine your models and workflows, always keeping an eye on stability and performance.

Candidates for this role should possess a strong foundation in software engineering, specifically within cloud-native and distributed environments.

• Must-have skills:
  • Proficiency in Python, Go, or similar languages used for backend services.
  • Deep experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container orchestration (Kubernetes).
  • A strong understanding of distributed systems design, specifically regarding concurrency and state management.
  • Experience in building or integrating AI agents/LLM-based workflows into production.
• Nice-to-have skills:
  • Experience with game-server architecture or real-time systems.
  • Familiarity with MLOps practices and tools.
  • Background in managing or scaling live-service games.

Q: How long does the interview process typically take? A: While it varies based on scheduling, most candidates move through the entire process in 3 to 5 weeks. We aim for efficiency while ensuring you have enough time to meet the team.

Q: What is the most common reason for a candidate not moving forward? A: Often, it is a lack of depth in system design. Candidates who can talk about AI but struggle to explain how to scale, monitor, and secure those systems in production often find it challenging to succeed.

Q: Does Big Viking Games prioritize specific AI frameworks? A: We prioritize architectural patterns over specific frameworks. We want to see that you understand the principles of agentic workflows, regardless of the specific library you used in your last project.

Q: What is the culture like for this team? A: The team is highly collaborative and technical. We value engineers who are proactive, willing to challenge assumptions, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment.

• Own your failures: When discussing past projects, be honest about what didn't work and what you learned. We value the ability to diagnose and fix systemic issues.
• Focus on the "Why": Don't just explain how you built something; explain why you chose that specific architecture over alternatives.
• Be ready for whiteboarding: You will be asked to draw systems. Practice explaining your logic while you draw; we are more interested in your thought process than a perfect diagram.
• Connect to the business: Always tie your technical solutions back to how they improve the game or the player experience.

The role of Agentic AI Engineer at Big Viking Games is an invitation to solve some of the most complex challenges in modern gaming. By combining autonomous agent logic with robust engineering, you will help build the future of how games are operated and scaled. Your ability to bridge the gap between AI theory and production reality will be your greatest asset.

Preparation is key to your success. Focus on articulating your architectural decisions clearly, demonstrating your deep knowledge of distributed systems, and showing how you maintain stability in a non-deterministic environment. You can explore additional interview insights, practice questions, and preparation resources on Dataford to ensure you are fully prepared for every stage of the process.

The provided compensation data reflects the expected salary ranges for Senior and Principal roles within the Toronto office. These figures represent base salary components; keep in mind that total compensation may also include equity or performance bonuses depending on the specific level and offer structure. Use these ranges to calibrate your expectations and ensure your requirements align with the market for high-impact engineering roles at Big Viking Games.