Level Designer - Neon Koi

Level Designer - Berlin or Helsinki 

We are Neon Koi. We are a PlayStation Studio. Our mission is to make action games with epic stories that foster lasting connections with players around the world. Our aim is to amass a stellar portfolio over the next decade by focusing on building highly collaborative, experienced and empowered teams in Helsinki & Berlin.

We offer you the chance to join a rapidly growing international team of passionate and talented game makers, just like yourself. As a young company, you, as an early employee, will have a genuine opportunity to contribute significantly to the culture and operations.

Neon Koi is formerly known as Savage Game Studios.

Why do our people love it here? 

Our team can be summed up as being hungry, humble, and people-smart. We genuinely love what we do and aim high. To succeed as a diverse international team spread across two locations (Helsinki & Berlin), effective collaboration and communication are key. While we are all talented individuals, the sweetest achievement is succeeding together as a team.

Fair Play -  To us, fairness stands for treating people justly, and not letting your personal feelings bias your decisions about them. We strive to preserve a culture, which doesn’t have glass ceilings or hidden decision-making processes. A transparent culture where teams can thrive and get rewarded for the work they put in and the results they achieve.

When people don’t play by the rules, we act swiftly. At the same time, we reward individuals and teams who embrace our values.

Powerful Together - We believe that excellence is reached by effective team collaboration and ongoing, open feedback.

We are constantly curious to learn from each other. Understanding and hearing each others’ perspectives enables us to make the best decisions. We get inspired by each other to strive for higher standards and ultimately become a better version of ourselves.

You can rely on each other when facing difficult challenges. We encourage everyone to speak up, ask for help and bring up hard conversations. Most importantly, we put a lot of effort into hiring the right people who enjoy spending time with each other.

Players First - We work for the players. Understanding them at deeper levels than just demographics is crucial for our success.
We’re player informed. Ultimately we, and not our players, are responsible for making the right decisions for our games. We realize that what players want and what they need may often differ.

We’re committed to creating a diverse team. If you feel that you might be interested in the role, even if you don’t hit 100% of the criteria, please don’t let that put you off. Get in touch with us. We believe in passion and potential. 

The Role 

We are seeking a highly skilled and passionate experienced Level Designer to join our game development team. As an integral part of our creative process, you will play a key role in designing and crafting immersive and engaging game environments. The ideal candidate possesses a deep understanding of game mechanics, spatial design, and narrative integration to create memorable and enjoyable player experiences.

This role can be based in Helsinki or Berlin.

Responsibilities 

• Conceptualize, design, and implement compelling game levels that align with the overall game vision and design goals.Work with team members to ensure seamless integration of gameplay elements within the level design. 
• Balance pacing and flow within game levels to provide a dynamic and enjoyable player experience.Utilize environmental storytelling techniques to enhance narrative immersion.
• Integrate and iterate on game mechanics within level designs, ensuring a balance of challenge and accessibility.Collaborate with gameplay designers to implement and refine interactive elements within the game world.
• Create comprehensive and clear documentation for level designs, Maintain and update documentation throughout the development process.
• Collaborate and work closely with QA to identify, address and resolve reporting issues, as well as, refine level designs. 
• Actively communicate and participate in design meetings, providing insight and feedback to team. 

Requirements 

• At least 5 years of proven experience as a Level Designer, within the game development industry. 
• Proficiency preferably in Unreal Engine or any game engine, with a strong understanding of spatial design principles, gameplay mechanics, and level scripting.
• A keen eye for detail and a passion for creating visually stunning and immersive game environments.
• Ability to think creatively and solve design challenges with innovative solutions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback in a collaborative team environment.
• Proactive problem-solving mindset with a commitment to achieving project goals.

The ideal candidate will also have 

• Demonstrable portfolio showcasing completed projects and highlighting specific contributions to level design.
  
  

Why join us? 

Although we’re a new company, we’re committed to making this a great place to work, so this is only the beginning of our benefits: 

• Annual bonus 
• Lunch benefits
• Budget towards commuting costs 
• Fitness benefits
• Home internet / mobile phone plan
• Educational budget: for language learning, self-training, attending conferences, buying games and books etc 
• Financial and practical assistance with relocation through our relocation partner and a relocation budget 
• Twice yearly off-sites
• PBG - Pizza, beer and games on the last Friday of every month 
• 30 days holiday plus additional days for Wellness and between Christmas and New Year
• Access to PlayStation products and games