Creative Director

Position Title: Creative Director

Studio/Department: Darkpaw Games/Live Development 

Employee Type: Full Time, Regular

Location: San Diego, CA / Remote (Daybreak Approved Remote Locations (CA, WA, TX, NY))

Salary Range: $125,000 - $160,000, pay may vary on location. 

ABOUT OUR STUDIO

Our headquarters is where the gaming culture and Southern California lifestyle meet, creating a vibrant work environment that epitomizes our belief that every day should be well played.  Daybreak San Diego is the home of Darkpaw Games, creators of the legendary EverQuest and EverQuest II games.  This is also the home of Rogue Planet Games, developer of the award-winning MMOFPS PlanetSide 2.

The perks of working at Daybreak San Diego extend well beyond the beautiful weather in this prime location.  Access to the local gym, as well as on-site fitness classes, game nights, and a strong appreciation for the local craft brew scene (we even turned one of our original game servers into an on-site kegerator) are just some of the ways that make working at Daybreak (San Diego) exciting!  Working here is about being part of a community. 

Find out more about our studio at www.daybreakgames.com. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Creative Director will provide creative leadership for game aesthetics, mechanics, design, and story for Darkpaw Games, located in San Diego, CA. In partnership with the Darkpaw Games Creative and Leadership teams, this person will also help attract and retain the best creative gaming talent around. This position will:

• Provide visionary oversight and creative direction for an unannounced title within Darkpaw Games.
• Establish and refine the high-level core gameplay loops.
• Advise on and develop supplementary systems that reinforce gameplay loops that focus on core pillars of the game:
  • Community and Teamwork - Working together and building social bonds to achieve things that you can't do (or is very hard to do) on your own.
  • Fairness - You perform certain gameplay actions, put the time in, "work" hard and you get rewarded, your accomplishments and achievements are never taken away.
  • Escape and Exploration - We build alternative worlds where players can take a break from real life or want to get a feeling of exploring something new with a sense of danger (high fantasy exploration).
• Maintain knowledge of the global game market and use to influence and add value to our product offerings.
• Assist with the recruitment of key talent and grow and mentor the Design team.
• Lead creative teams to establish and meet key milestones with expected quality, budget, and time standards.
  
  

Required Experience & Skills

• 10+ years of direct game development experience.
• Proven success from previously released titles.
• Relevant experience in achieving results via strong leadership.
• Ability to motivate teams and build consensus.
• Ability to design and elaborate on core gameplay loops and design systems that reinforce the loop from end-to-end.
• Effective and positive interpersonal skills.
• Proven problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Experience developing MMO games.
• Strong portfolio of work in current game engines UE4/5.
• Ability to assist with systems, level, and narrative design when the situation arises.
• Experience working on PC and console games.
• Experience developing procedurally generated content.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience developing games on pre-existing IP.
• Previous experience with building a game from concept to release.

Feel like you are a match for this role, but don't meet all the requirements and pluses? We encourage fresh viewpoints, so as long as you can show us how your attitude and other skills make up for any gaps, we still want to see your application!

ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Daybreak Game Company LLC is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games. Best known for blockbuster hits and franchises such as DC Universe™ Online, PlanetSide®, EverQuest®, and Dungeons and Dragons Online®, Daybreak creates, develops, and provides compelling online entertainment for millions of gamers worldwide. We are the game publisher for Darkpaw Studios, Rogue Planet Gaming Studio, Dimensional Ink Games, and Standing Stone Games. To top it off, we are making games in three of the coolest cities in the United States: San Diego, Austin, and Boston. We make games that bring people together and build lasting communities and are totally devoted to delivering the ultimate gaming experience! Find out more about our company at www.daybreakgames.com. 

Be Aware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities

Daybreak Game Company will never ask applicants for social security numbers, date of birth, bank account information or other sensitive information in job applications. Additionally, our recruiters do not communicate with applicants through free e-mail accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or through online messaging apps (WhatsApp, Hangouts). We will never ask applicants to provide payment during the hiring process or extend an offer without conducting a phone, live video or in-person interview. Please contact Daybreak Game Company's People & Culture team at people@daybreakgames.com if you encounter a recruiter or see a job opportunity that seems suspicious.

**Daybreak Game Company, LLC. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to Diversity in the workplace.**