Senior Gameplay Designer
Our new game is about the mesmerizing experience of interacting with wild animals.
We're looking for a designer-programmer hybrid to help us create gameplay prototypes that feel intimate and weirdly alive. Like a grub crawling on a hand, a starfish waving its arms, or a lizard emerging from its shell filtered through an aesthetic that includes classic fairytales, Jim Henson, and Junji Ito.
This is a highly creative, hands-on role for someone who’s already been building their own games, experimenting with mechanics, and chasing unusual ideas. You’ll be joining a small, senior team (currently 4 people) where you’ll be a core contributor to exploring and shaping the direction and feel of the game.
What you'll do here
Gameplay Prototyping
- Brainstorm new interactions between humans and animals
- Build rapid 3D gameplay prototypes
- Act as the team’s champion for game feel — tuning movement controls, physics, and animal responses to feel more tactile, expressive, and alive
Creative Leadership
- Collaborate closely with programmers, animators, and artists to push prototypes toward higher fidelity
- Create art briefs and give constructive feedback to ensure visuals and gameplay reinforce each other
- Help establish strong prototyping practices and creative workflows
- Participate actively in playtests and lead iteration discussions
Mentor & Support Designers
- Review and give feedback on prototypes built by other designers
- Manage and mentor junior designers
What We’re Looking For
Core Experience
- 5+ years of professional game development experience
- Strong ability to build gameplay prototypes (C++ experience preferred, or strong C# background with willingness to learn C++)
- Proven experience creating expressive, “juicy” gameplay interactions
- Experience designing 3D gameplay spaces
Creative Fit
We’re especially excited about candidates who:
- Have built non-standard gameplay systems — something beyond familiar combat or genre mechanics
- Have an experimental mindset and are comfortable working in early, messy prototype phases
- See games as holistic experiences and appreciate that creating moments that really pop for players often requires an infuriating amount of inter-disciplinary collaboration to make everything in the world behave just so
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience with Unreal Engine and Blueprint scripting
- Familiarity with Blender or Maya
- An interest in science, biology, or natural systems
- Personal game projects, experimental prototypes, or indie releases
This is a fully remote role. If you're outside of US timezones we ask that your day includes at least 4 hours of overlap with the team between 9am - 6pm, PT.
If you think you'd be a good fit, please contact us.
