Senior Level Designer

ABOUT US:

Saltwater Games is a creative alliance of studios dedicated to delivering unparalleled entertainment experiences that ignite the imagination of our audiences. Our passionate teams of creative professionals consist of industry veterans from renowned studios such as PlayStation, Codemasters, Sumo Digital, Interior Night and Mediatonic who are working on some exciting VR, multiplayer and mobile titles. At SWG we follow some key values:

• We are optimistic & brave
• We are honest & open
• We take ownership & responsibility

ABOUT YOU:

Saltwater Games (SWG) is a dynamic and innovative game development studio that thrives on creating immersive gaming experiences. We are currently seeking an experienced Senior Level Designer, you will be a driving force for level design within the studio. You will take ownership in crafting a believable, user-friendly world for our players to explore. You have an excellent eye for environmental storytelling and are comfortable creating play spaces that invite exploration, whilst also providing the right layout and framing for key narrative events and encounters to take place. You will have the opportunity to mentor other designers; teaching them best practices and principles. You’re comfortable working closely with all disciplines to craft environments that fit the needs of every department, the IP, and the story being told.

• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of level design for first person perspective environments
• Confident creating effective environments which adhere to IP requirements
• Knowledge of how to craft exciting and dynamic gameplay encounters that encourage player choice on how to overcome them; with a focus on stealth and long-range combat
• Comfortable with rapid prototyping and quick, iterative level-building
• You have strong creative awareness and are able to invent level features, and combine existing ones in imaginative ways
• Understanding of best practice development process through all phases of game production
• Experience and familiarity with scripting for gameplay events
• Ability to manage your own time and work proactively, whilst being a positive influence on your team
• Able to adapt to new technologies and technical challenges
• Understand how to create inspiring levels within technology and performance constraints
• Strong understanding of general design principles, allowing you to support and fulfil other design roles when required
• Exceptional eye for detail, whilst understanding and contributing to the bigger picture

• Be the voice for all things level design. Be an inspiration to your team.
• Help define & maintain level design processes, pipelines, and best practices.
• Create authentic, rich spaces in which the player can explore, interact with characters, and engage in combat/stealth encounters
• Lead the player through the world, ensuring that they understand their objectives and can find the way intuitively and with confidence
• Lay out the game world and script events to create unforgettable experiences, crafting the pace whilst balancing progression, challenge, and reward
• Collaborate with the rest of the design team and key stakeholders to ensure consistently high-quality level design across the game and well-balanced difficulty & progression
• Contribute to tools and workflow development, identifying bottlenecks or areas where tools could improve efficiency.

• Salary Range: £50k - £60k DOE
• Remote-first Studio
• Share option scheme
• Unlimited holidays
• Monthly workplace well-being benefit scheme with Vitality private health care
• L&D subscription to Udemy
• Regular team social events & studio summits and networking opportunities
• Working alongside a friendly, flexible, and highly talented team
• Opportunity to work on the future of immersive storytelling and big-name IPs

To tell better stories and create inclusive experiences we welcome everyone, especially from under-represented people in our industry whose stories aren’t told often enough. Our research has suggested that sometimes people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to roles unless they meet every single listed requirement. At Maze Theory we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive working environment, who you are will always deserve our consideration and recognition, and your application is welcome.