Game Designer II - League of Legends, Summoner's Rift Team, Live Pod

Game Designers at Riot craft the systems, mechanics, and content that make up a resonant player experience. We explore how to best push the boundaries of that experience to build new and engaging moments for players.

As a Game Designer II on the League of Legends Summoner's Rift Team Live Pod, you will be responsible for optimizing the live game experience across several vectors. You will balance the game while prioritizing game feel and satisfaction within the constraints of raw numerical tuning, ensuring content fulfills its gameplay fantasy. You’ll also analyze opportunities across the live ecosystem, identifying areas for improvement across UX, behavioral systems, client-related interactions, etc. We are looking for passionate and highly engaged Designers who understand the game from top to bottom and are passionate about improving it. 

Key Responsibilities

• Expertly balance game feel and player satisfaction while maintaining strong numerical discipline for champions, items, runes and game systems.
• Analyze opportunities across all vectors, including UX improvements, behavioral systems, client interactions, and game experience, to create a holistic live game experience.
• Collaborate with partner teams such as Insights & Game Analysis Team to integrate data and sentiment reporting into decision-making.
• Deliver changes that optimize content for players of all skill levels, motivations, and playstyles, from new players to professionals.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience designing systems or balance for competitive PvP games.
• Proven ability to maintain content fantasy satisfaction while balancing numerically.
• Literacy in processing and leveraging analytical data to inform decisions and improvements.
• Strong audience understanding and player empathy across skill level, from new players to reviving and professional players across diverse motivations (experimental, competitive, social, etc.)
• Understand the effects of how complex and interconnected systems in League work together, and how small changes in tuning will be optimized, exploited, or resonate with players
• Comprehensive understanding of League of Legends gameplay content, including champions, items, runes, and map objectives.
• Emerald+ rank in solo queue.

Preferred Qualifications

• Diamond+ rank in solo queue.
• Experience advocating for new analytical and sentiment reporting to better target improvements in the live game experience.
• Experience with history of League of Legends, including design trends and metagame evolutions in various regions and skill brackets
• Excellent understanding of Pro Play optimizations

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the and . Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of and our ongoing work to build the .

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.