Principal Game Designer (Gameplay)

Polyarc is seeking a Principal Game Designer to champion the creation of innovative, moment-to-moment gameplay systems that bring mechanics, characters, and worlds to life. This role will play a key part in shaping how players connect with our games, and how our design team evolves and flourishes through your mentorship.

As a Principal Game Designer at Polyarc, you will blend technical skills with design expertise to craft gameplay that is intuitive, responsive, and rewarding for players. You will advocate for design, guide teams through ambiguity, and untangle complex challenges. Additionally, you will mentor and manage game designers, while fostering shared ownership, creative expression, and a collaborative culture, all in support of Polyarc’s studio goals.

If you are passionate about crafting transformative player experiences in a collaborative, innovative, and empowering studio environment, then Polyarc might be the place for you.

Responsibilities:

• Champion the design and delivery of moment-to-moment gameplay systems and associated content across all stages of development.
• Implement and prototype gameplay systems in-engine, ensuring designs are practical, testable, and connected across disciplines.
• Partner with all development disciplines to bring mechanics and content together cohesively, guiding cross-disciplinary collaboration in support of project goals.
• Playtest regularly to gather feedback, surface friction points, and drive iteration across teams using insights gained.
• Solve complex design challenges by clarifying technical considerations, leveraging constraints, and unblocking dependencies.
• Drive design efforts from ambiguity to clarity by framing problems, articulating goals and considerations, and building alignment across teams to deliver on schedule.
• Manage other game designers and support their continued growth and development within the organization.
• Foster a collaborative, feedback-rich culture by mentoring peers, championing shared ownership, and encouraging creative expression.

Qualifications:

• Extensive professional experience shaping design goals, implementing gameplay systems that support a collective vision, and solving high-risk, complex design challenges.
• Proven ability to collaborate across disciplines throughout all stages of development, aligning cross-functional teams around design goals and communicating complex ideas clearly.
• Strong technical skills with advanced proficiency in Unreal Engine, including Blueprint scripting, animation systems, and input systems.
• Deep understanding of player feedback channels and how to leverage them to improve clarity, responsiveness, and player trust.
• Proven leadership and mentorship skills, with a track record of guiding design initiatives and championing best practices.
• Professional experience managing other game designers, proactively understanding friction points and supporting their growth as a game developer.
• Skilled in crafting concise documentation that communicates vision, shares key information, and defines functionality for implementation and testing.

Pluses:

• Experience designing controls and gameplay systems for VR/AR/XR.
• Experience shipping AAA titles with impactful gameplay system contributions.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine C++ for prototyping and exposing data to Blueprint.
• Experience across multiple genres and platforms, tailoring controls to platform-specific constraints.
• Experience using Unreal Engine profiling tools to debug gameplay systems and optimize performance.

We believe all the listed qualifications are important to the role. We’re also open to hearing from anyone who believes their unique experiences also qualify them for consideration. If that’s you, please apply!