Senior Systems Designer

1 Month ago • 5 Years + • Systems Design • $89,640 PA - $186,840 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

As a Senior Systems Designer at Lightspeed LA, you'll design and implement core gameplay features, systems, and mechanics for a AAA open-world game. This involves brainstorming, prototyping, and fine-tuning systems for optimal player experience. You'll collaborate closely with a multidisciplinary team (Tech, Design, UX, Art) to ensure engaging gameplay aligned with the game's overall vision. You'll create in-game prototypes, evaluate performance, adapt to production constraints, and iterate on designs throughout development. Problem-solving, critical thinking, and a collaborative spirit are essential. Experience shipping at least one title is required, with AAA experience preferred.
Must have:
  • 5+ years experience as gameplay/systems designer
  • Design & implement gameplay features/systems
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams
  • Prototype and fine-tune game systems
  • Shipped at least one game title
Good to have:
  • Scripting languages
  • UI design
  • Ambient/camera/progression systems
  • AI, itemization, economy, weapons expertise
  • Unreal/Unity experience
Perks:
  • Free daily lunch
  • Beverages, snacks, fruit
  • 401k matching
  • Cell phone reimbursement
  • Financial wellness sessions
  • Flexible spending account
  • Team building & outings
  • Parental leave
  • Company-paid health insurance
  • Life & disability insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Wellness training
  • Travel insurance
  • Preventive care

Job Details

About the Hiring Team

Welcome to Lightspeed LA, the first U.S.-based, AAA game development studio for Tencent Games. Lightspeed LA is focused on building open-world games that emphasize an ambitious living world, sophisticated player-driven gameplay, and mature, thoughtful storytelling. We are developing the first in a series of genre-defining titles.

Why join Lightspeed LA?

For us, it's not only about the exciting, new AAA open world game we're developing but also about team values and studio culture. We foster an open and transparent environment where everyone feels comfortable providing constructive feedback about all aspects of our games.

● We encourage the showing of work that's still in progress.
● We don't attack or question unfinished work, we celebrate its promise.
● We have a No Blame Culture where we blame the problem, not the person.

This is a safe place to fail, and we don't view failure as a negative, but as the natural result of pushing boundaries and trying new things. We create together. We face Challenges Together. We succeed together.

What the Role Entails

  • Be responsible for designing and creating 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

Who We Look For

  • 5+ years of experience as a gameplay or systems designer

  • 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

  • Analytical skills for evaluating systems and interpreting player behavior

  • Expertise in one or more of the following areas: user interface design, ambient systems, camera systems, progression systems, vehicle systems, AI systems, itemization, economy, or weapons

  • Possess an extensive knowledge of competing products and a deep understanding of the complex interdependencies of open world game systems

  • Experience with modern game engines and visual scripting (Unreal, Unity, etc.)

  • A passion for mentoring designers and leading by example

  • Shipped at least one AAA game from inception to finish

Why Join Us?

Perks and Benefits:

Just some of the benefits of working with us here at our newly built studio in Irvine, CA.

● Free daily lunch
● Beverages, fresh fruit, and snacks
● 401k with employer match
● Monthly Cell phone bill reimbursement
● Financial wellness sessions
● Flexible spending account
● Team building and company outings
● Parental leave for new parents
● Company paid health insurance
● Life and disability insurance
● Employee assistance program
● Wellness training
● Travel insurance
● Preventive care

If the above sounds like you, or if you'd like to know more about the role, we'd love to hear from you to see if we might be a good fit for each other! Contact us for more information about this exciting opportunity.

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

Unity - Senior Partner Engineer - EMEA

Unity

Brighton And Hove, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
Life church - Associate Operations Pastor

Life church

United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago
ZeptoLab - Senior Artist (Generalist)- Prototyping, remote

ZeptoLab

Vojvodina, Serbia (Remote)
2 Months ago
Unity - Senior Data Ops Engineer

Unity

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Meta - Program Manager, Manufacturing

Meta

Fremont, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Barbaricum - System Engineer SME

Barbaricum

Warren, Michigan, United States (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Squanch Games - Gameplay Engineer

Squanch Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)
7 Months ago
Activision - Lead Systems Designer - Sledgehammer Games Toronto

Activision

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Meta - Hardware Design Engineer (Consumer Electronics)

Meta

Milan, Lombardy, Italy (On-Site)
3 Months ago
AMD - Sr. Software System Designer

AMD

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

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Unity - Senior Engineering Program Manager, Console Platforms

Unity

Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Nordcurrent - QA

Nordcurrent

Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Bombay Play - Technical Artist

Bombay Play

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
7 Months ago
SuperPlay - 2D Animator

SuperPlay

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Playrix - Senior C++ Software Engineer (Tools)

Playrix

Ukraine (Remote)
4 Months ago
Keywords Studios (Player Support) - Technical Artist - VFX

Keywords Studios (Player Support)

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (Hybrid)
6 Months ago
The Walt Disney Company - Senior Manager, Data Analytics, Disney+

The Walt Disney Company

Minato City, Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Limit Break - Sr. Mobile Game Designer

Limit Break

Singapore, Singapore (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Keywords Studios (Player Support) - Technical Artist 技术美术师

Keywords Studios (Player Support)

Beijing, China (On-Site)
9 Months ago
YallaPlay - Mobile Game User Acquisition Coordinator

YallaPlay

(Remote)
5 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Irvine, California, United States

Zoox - Senior Autonomy Systems Test Engineer

Zoox

San Diego, California, United States (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Next Level Business Services - Senior Developer

Next Level Business Services

Bethpage, New York, United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago
PlayStation Global - Video Game Capture Runner

PlayStation Global

California, United States (Remote)
2 Months ago
Riot Games - Principal Software Engineer - Teamfight Tactics, Major Projects

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
ByteDance - Software Architect, Lark No-code / Low-code Platform

ByteDance

Mountain View, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
The Walt Disney Company - Lead Machine Learning Engineer

The Walt Disney Company

Washington, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Activision - Principal Character Concept Artist - Treyarch (Los Angeles)

Activision

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago
ByteDance - SOC System Architect

ByteDance

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
The Walt Disney Company - Brush Painter

The Walt Disney Company

Anaheim, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
ION - Senior Technical Consultant - Endur

ION

Uniondale, New York, United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Systems Design Jobs

Activision - Lead Systems Designer - Raven Software

Activision

Middleton, Wisconsin, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Epic Games - Principal Platform Engineer

Epic Games

(On-Site)
1 Month ago
Epic Games - Senior Gameplay Systems Programmer, Unreal Engine

Epic Games

(On-Site)
1 Month ago
Activision - Senior Build Engineer

Activision

Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Epic Games - Platform Engineer

Epic Games

Cary, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Google - Onderhoudstechnicus Elektro

Google

(On-Site)
3 Months ago
Assystems - Ingénieur système H/F

Assystems

Bruyères-le-Châtel, Île-de-France, France (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Epic Games - Senior AI Designer

Epic Games

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Barbaricum - System Architect

Barbaricum

Warren, Michigan, United States (Hybrid)
4 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Irvine, California, United States (On-Site)

(On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Irvine, California, United States (On-Site)

(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