Senior Gameplay Designer

4 Months ago • 5 Years + • Gameplay • $89,640 PA - $186,840 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

Lightspeed Studios seeks a Senior Gameplay Designer to spearhead the core gameplay experience of a AAA open-world action game (single and multiplayer). Responsibilities include designing and implementing gameplay features, systems, and mechanics; prototyping and fine-tuning game systems; collaborating with multidisciplinary teams; developing gameplay tools; working with external co-development teams; and iterating on designs throughout production. The role requires 5+ years of experience shipping AAA titles, Unreal Engine expertise (blueprints, animation montages), and strong communication skills. Leadership opportunities exist as the team grows.
Must have:
  • 5+ years AAA game design experience
  • Shipped at least one AAA title
  • Unreal Engine experience (blueprints, animation)
  • Gameplay system design & implementation
  • Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
Good to have:
  • Lua/Verse scripting
  • Multiplayer gameplay design
  • Confluence/Jira experience
  • Analytical skills & player behavior analysis
  • Mentoring & leadership experience
Perks:
  • Sign-on payment
  • Relocation package
  • Restricted stock units
  • Medical, financial, and other benefits

Job Details

Business Unit

LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS is made up of passionate players who advance the art & science of game development through great stories, great gameplay, and advanced technology. We are focused on bringing next generation experiences to gamers who want to enjoy them anywhere, anytime, across multiple genres and devices.

What the Role Entails

Overview

We are looking for an experienced and technically skilled gameplay designer to help establish and implement the core gameplay experience of a third person AAA open world action game. Combining both single and multiplayer, this is a hands-on role that utilizes a combination of Unreal 5 and proprietary technology. Reporting to the Design Director, you will be the principal gameplay point of contact through pre-production. As the team size grows, there will be leadership opportunities if desired.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Design and create gameplay features, systems, and mechanics for a AAA open world game.
  • Brainstorm, prototype, implement, and fine tune deep game systems that are rewarding, easy to understand, and easy to use.
  • Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams to create memorable and engaging gameplay that aligns with the creative and holistic direction of the game.
  • Design, develop, and playtest gameplay tools and processes alongside the technical and animation team.
  • Work alongside and efficiently communicate with external co-development teams.

Who We Look For

    • 5+ years of experience as a gameplay or systems designer.
    • Shipped at least one AAA game from inception to finish.
    • Commercial experience using the Unreal Engine, including blueprints and animation montages.
    • Communicate design functionality and vision through presentations, prototyping, and design documentation.
    • Take a holistic approach to design rules and experiences with input and consideration from a multi-faceted team of contributors, including Tech, Design, UX, Art, etc.
    • Help develop in-game prototypes of gameplay systems and features and evaluate their performance.
    • The ability and desire to work in an extremely creative and collaborative environment.
    • Adapt to technical and production constraints and be willing to iterate on your designs as often as needed throughout production.
    • Critical thinking, open-mindedness, resourcefulness, and flexibility.
    • Be an integral part of realizing solutions to fix bugs and problems within the implemented systems.
    • Follow up on features pre and post launch to help improve, add, or remove components.
    • Combine passion, skill, and expertise to continually raise the design bar.
    • Experience designing gameplay features, mechanics and/or systems on at least one shipped title.

    Preferred Qualifications

    • Strong knowledge of scripting languages (Lua, Verse).
    • Experience designing and tuning multi-player gameplay.
    • Experience using Confluence and Jira.
    • Analytical skills for evaluating systems and interpreting player behavior.
    • Possess an extensive knowledge of competing products and a deep understanding of the complex interdependencies of open world game systems.
    • A passion for mentoring designers and leading by example.

    Location State(s)

    California

    The base pay range for this position in the state(s) above is $89,640.0 to $186,840.0 per year. Actual pay is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A sign on payment, relocation package, and restricted stock units may be provided as part of the compensation package, as well as other medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the specific position offered.

    Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent

    As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community. We foster an environment where every employee of Tencent feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.

    Similar Jobs

    OKX - Specialist, Customer Service Analytics

    OKX

    Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory Of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (On-Site)
    1 Month ago
    Qualcomm - DSP / NPU Design Verification Sr Engineer

    Qualcomm

    Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
    1 Month ago
    N-ix - Senior React Engineer

    N-ix

    Ukraine (Remote)
    1 Week ago
    warner bros games - Senior Programmer, Rendering

    warner bros games

    Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Hybrid)
    4 Months ago
    playrix  - Senior Unity Software Engineer (Gameplay)

    playrix

    Ukraine (Remote)
    8 Months ago
    Rebellion - Senior Gameplay Programmer

    Rebellion

    Runcorn, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
    3 Months ago
    Lighthouse Games - Senior Gameplay Engineer

    Lighthouse Games

    Royal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
    2 Weeks ago
    Holospark - Gameplay Engineer

    Holospark

    Bellevue, Washington, United States (On-Site)
    6 Months ago
    Frontier Developments - Gameplay Programmer

    Frontier Developments

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (On-Site)
    1 Month ago

    Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

    Similar Skill Jobs

    Larian Studios - VFX DIRECTOR

    Larian Studios

    Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
    6 Months ago
    Veeam Software - Virtualization Backup Engineer

    Veeam Software

    Prague, Czechia (Remote)
    2 Months ago
    bytedance - Android/iOS Engineer, Flow - 2025 Start

    bytedance

    Singapore (On-Site)
    8 Months ago
    WebFX - Jr. Digital Project Specialist

    WebFX

    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States (On-Site)
    8 Months ago
    Gearbox - Biome Artist

    Gearbox

    Frisco, Texas, United States (On-Site)
    7 Months ago
    Toast - Senior Manager, Finance Systems & Operations

    Toast

    United States (Remote)
    2 Weeks ago
    Sonar Source - Atlassian Administrator

    Sonar Source

    Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (On-Site)
    4 Months ago
    Google - Software Engineer III, Infrastructure, Google Cloud AI

    Google

    Kirkland, Washington, United States (On-Site)
    8 Months ago
    Varonis  - Technical Support Engineer - L2

    Varonis

    Portland, Oregon, United States (On-Site)
    5 Months ago
    Diligent Corporation - Principal Software Engineer

    Diligent Corporation

    Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
    2 Months ago

    Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

    Jobs in California, United States

    Adyen - Compliance Officer - Card Networks

    Adyen

    San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
    1 Month ago
    Apple - RF Software Engineer

    Apple

    Sunnyvale, California, United States (On-Site)
    3 Weeks ago
    Apple - UI Software Engineer

    Apple

    Cupertino, California, United States (On-Site)
    1 Month ago
    Roblox - Principal Software Engineer, Real-Time Character Technology

    Roblox

    San Mateo, California, United States (On-Site)
    2 Weeks ago
    bytedance - Machine Learning Engineer - Inference

    bytedance

    San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
    3 Months ago
    HCL Tech - Technical Lead iOS, Android, Java

    HCL Tech

    California, United States (On-Site)
    1 Month ago
    Yahoo - Senior Software Engineer

    Yahoo

    United States (Hybrid)
    3 Weeks ago
    klass - Chief Revenue Officer

    klass

    United States (Remote)
    1 Month ago
    Apple - 5G/4G Physical Layer Firmware Verification and Integration Engineer

    Apple

    Sunnyvale, California, United States (On-Site)
    2 Months ago
    Palo Alto Networks - Sr Site Reliability Engineer (App Service Team)

    Palo Alto Networks

    Santa Clara, California, United States (On-Site)
    2 Months ago

    Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

    Gameplay Jobs

    Wargaming - Lead Gameplay Programmer

    Wargaming

    Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Hybrid)
    2 Weeks ago
    Embark Studios - Senior Gameplay Programmer - Games

    Embark Studios

    Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (On-Site)
    5 Months ago
    Playground Games - Senior Gameplay Engineer

    Playground Games

    England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
    2 Months ago
    Epic Games - Senior Gameplay AI Engineer, UEFN

    Epic Games

    Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
    2 Months ago
    Activision - Senior Expert Gameplay Engineer

    Activision

    Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (On-Site)
    1 Month ago
    GameJobs - Senior Gameplay Programmer

    GameJobs

    Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
    1 Year ago
    Paradox Interactive - Senior Gameplay Programmer

    Paradox Interactive

    Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (On-Site)
    4 Weeks ago
    playrix  - Lead C++ Software Engineer (Gameplay)

    playrix

    Armenia (Remote)
    8 Months ago
    bongfish - Senior Gameplay Programmer (m/f/d)

    bongfish

    Graz, Styria, Austria (On-Site)
    10 Months ago
    Thatgamecompany - Gameplay Engineer

    Thatgamecompany

    United States (Remote)
    3 Months ago

    Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

    About The Company

    Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (On-Site)

    Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

    California, United States (On-Site)

    California, United States (On-Site)

    Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (On-Site)

    (On-Site)

    Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

    (On-Site)

    Irvine, California, United States (On-Site)

    View All Jobs

    Get notified when new jobs are added by Light Speed Studios

    Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

    Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

    Job Common Plug