World Builder / Level Designer

Notes From The Recruiter

Due to overwhelming interest in this role, we are conducting interviews in batches. This is an active search, but please note it may be a few weeks before we review each batch of applicants. If we make a hire before we get to your cohort, we may not get to review you, but will still reach out to share that the role has been filled. Regardless of the hiring decision, we will be sure to give you closure when it is done!

Who We Are

At OtherSide Entertainment our mission is to create deeply immersive games that draw players into richly imagined worlds; games that empower players to choose their own play-style, making their experience unique and personal; games that encourage players to team up with their friends and weave their own shared narrative; the kind of games that are powered by our players’ vision as much as our own. Together, we aim to evolve the “player-authored” tradition of Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex – all games developed by the company’s founders, Paul Neurath and Warren Spector.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a World Builder/Level Designer who loves to bring stylized worlds to life through environmental storytelling with a flair for drama. The ideal candidate has an eye for artistic composition rooted in compelling game flow, able to craft beautiful but eminently playable spaces for players to enjoy. You are design-oriented but understand artistic concepts to a high degree. Your keen eye for detail and exceptional modeling skills will aid you in creating levels from prototype to final product using Unreal Engine. You will collaborate with our tight-knit team, helping to define and contribute to the planning, creation, and final execution of all aspects of modeling and world building for in-game and cinematic content. Your skills and vision will push the project to new heights of gameplay and visual storytelling!

Job Responsibilities

• Build polished, in-game and cinematic environments at the highest level of quality and efficiency using industry-standard 3D modeling tools and Unreal
• Develop and craft compelling, highly playable spaces from paper design, block out and final set dressing working with a team of artists
• Work with system and progression designers to ensure that playable spaces meet encounter and game economy needs
• Collaborate with all disciplines to develop and improve the environment pipelines from prop creation to final in-game polish and optimization
• Adhere to a specific art style and address feedback given by the Lead Designer and Art Director
• Collaborate with artists and other world builders to create interesting and immersive environments
• Polish environments with detail objects, decals, VFX, and other set dressing elements

Qualifications

• A strong portfolio or demo reel showcasing proficiency in level design / worldbuilding / environment art for video games (**must submit to be considered**)
Ideally we'd see a portfolio that has fly throughs of your levels and descriptions what you owned / did in those levels/worlds vs a video link to the game trailer or purely just finished still images
• A keen eye for level design, and the aesthetics for visual storytelling, drawing from a firm understanding of environment modeling and world building techniques
• Strong understanding of light, value, composition, color, staging, and detail in environmental design
• Knowledge of 3D applications such as Maya, 3DS Max, Blender, and Unreal’s built-in modeling tools
• Strong experience working with Unreal Engine with a strong understanding of its partition system
• A strong interest in games and creating open-world game environments
• Efficient communication skills
• Responsible time management skills
• 3-6 years of professional experience working as a level designer/world builder/environment artist in the video game industry

Bonus

• Experience working on multiple shipped titles
• Experience building props, both organic and hard surface and traditional work
• Experience integrating assets into Unreal
• Experience working collaboratively with a team
• Experience Kit bashing and building modular environments
• Good sense of scale and spatial awareness for a player POV
• Experience with crafting or modifying foliage

Additional Notes

This is a full-time, remote working role, with competitive compensation and a full suite of benefits available anywhere in the United States. All team members may be asked to occasionally travel for key meetings, as part of their job responsibilities.

Our people-first approach to game development celebrates diversity, and strives to create a safe and inclusive working environment where everyone is treated equally, with dignity, and with respect. We highly encourage candidates from diverse and under-represented backgrounds to apply, even those that may not directly meet every qualification listed for this role.

A Warning About Job Scams - We hate that we have to say it, but there are always bad actors trying to take advantage of people. We've become aware that there are scammers impersonating us with job interview messages. Please keep diligent and know that we will never have you download anything for an interview (We use Teamtailor, which is a SaaS product) and not Telegram or other message services. We also will not ever ask you for money, for you to buy your own equipment, or that you travel somewhere for an interview and we will reimburse you. When in doubt, please feel free to message the recruiter listed for each role on LinkedIn, or our CPO Juliette () about the legitimacy of any messages.