Game Designer II - League of Legends, Competitive (Ranked) & Matchmaking Systems

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 working on the League of Legends Casual and Ranked User Experience (CRUX) team, you will design and deliver world-class competitive and ranked systems tailored to the needs of League players. You will deeply understand what motivates competitive players and create systems that are compelling, rewarding, and balanced. This role will require a focus on crafting solutions that address design challenges across diverse player experiences while ensuring competitive integrity remains central to the experience. You will have a significant opportunity to craft the competitive and matchmaking experience of players in many modes of play from Summoner’s Rift to Game Modes. 

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain competitive and ranked systems that respect players’ time and skill investment in League of Legends.
• Tune and propose new features for matchmaking and skill systems to ensure fair, enjoyable, and competitive games.
• Collaborate with engineers, other designers, and product managers to take concepts from ideation to players.
• Identify opportunities to explore new competitive design spaces in alignment with product goals.
• Develop designs that can motivate and celebrate players engaging with League of Legends competitive and ranked systems across multiple player audiences from casual to competitive. 
• Articulate tradeoffs and risks with Designs and propose adjustments to adequately solve or reduce them. 

Required Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience in designing competitive, matchmaking or ranked systems in competitive PvP games.
• 3+ years of experience in designing systems for competitive PvP games.
• Demonstrated ability to create and iterate on complex systems while evaluating their impact on player experience, long-term product goals and second order+ effects.
• Proven ability to articulate and document design frameworks and decisions effectively for team alignment.
• Ability to articulate player motivations and behaviors across different competitive profiles (casual, hardcore, experimenters, etc.)
• Baseline understanding of ranked, competitive and matchmaking systems in a variety of games and their pros and cons.
• Proven ability to process existing analytical data to inform decisions and advocate for new data.

Desired Qualifications

• Passion for competitive gaming, with a deep understanding of League of Legends and its ranked and matchmaking systems.
• Strong understanding of various ranked, competitive matchmaking and skill systems and their pros and cons. 
• Proficient in writing basic SQL and/or Python code to triage and validate expected matchmaking and/or skill system behavior. 
• Experience balancing competitive integrity with system satisfaction and player progression.
• Strong player empathy, with a track record of using feedback to inform design improvements.

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 benefits pages for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. 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 thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

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.