As Game Director, you will own the holistic player experience, from core gameplay and AI behavior to narrative tone, pacing, presentation, and overall product quality. You will align all disciplines around a clear vision: delivering a premium, focused experience that emphasizes tactical consequence, player agency, and immersion.
This role requires strong creative leadership across design, engineering, art, and audio, ensuring that every aspect of the game comes together into a cohesive, polished experience.
Responsibilities
Partner with project leadership and publishing stakeholders to define, reinforce, and execute the overall creative vision, translating it into clear cross-disciplinary priorities for a cohesive third-person tactical shooter experience
Provide direction and oversight across all disciplines (design, engineering, art, and audio) ensuring gameplay systems, AI behaviors, narrative tone, and presentation align with the core project pillars
Lead and support discipline leaders, fostering a collaborative, accountable culture focused on delivering a cohesive and complete product
Work closely with production to plan, scope, and sequence development efforts, identifying risks early and guiding tradeoffs to deliver a polished, high-quality experience
Establish quality bars and review processes across all aspects of the game, ensuring consistency, clarity, and fun
Contribute hands-on when needed to unblock teams, prototype solutions, or help guide features through critical development phases
Work with other directors on communication across disciplines, ensuring alignment as features evolve and maintaining clarity around creative intent and player experience goals
Requirements
15+ years of experience in game development, with significant time in senior creative leadership roles (e.g., Game Director, Creative Director, or equivalent)
Proven track record of leading and shipping high-quality titles with strong, cohesive creative vision
Deep understanding of third-person shooter gameplay, including camera systems (e.g., ADS), combat feel, and player feedback
Experience overseeing systems involving squad coordination, AI-driven teammates, and contextual player commands
Strong grasp of pacing and player experience design within tightly scoped, high-intensity gameplay formats
Demonstrated ability to align and lead cross-disciplinary teams toward a unified product vision
Strong production awareness, with experience balancing creative ambition against scope, schedule, and technical constraints
Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with the ability to inspire teams and drive clarity at all levels
Pluses
Experience working on or playing military shooters or other tactically grounded gameplay experiences
Familiarity with building premium experiences with strong replayability
Strong understanding of AI systems and player-AI interaction at a systemic level
Appreciation for blending cinematic presentation with responsive, player-first gameplay
Passion for delivering tightly crafted, immersive experiences with a high level of polish and cohesion
Skills Required
- 15+ years of experience in game development
- Experience in senior creative leadership roles
- Proven track record of leading and shipping high-quality titles
- Strong understanding of third-person shooter gameplay
- Experience with squad coordination and AI teammates
- Strong production awareness and communication skills
What We Do
Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent studio - behind such games as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and the upcoming Homeworld 3, Minecraft Legends, and Crossfire: Legion. Founded by Rob Cunningham, Yossarian King, and Aaron Kambeitz in 2010, the award-winning Vancouver studio boast its own internal CG cinematics department, led by the founder of Pixar Canada, and has also been involved in various game-adjacent projects over the years - such as Project Eagle with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and other initiatives with the eatART Foundation and Sanctuary AI.
