Blackbird Interactive is looking for a Senior Systems Designer to join on a sci-fi, first-person action game built in Unreal 5. The game is heavily systems-driven, and uses a blend of hand-authored and procedural content, with deep immersion, emergent gameplay, and an emphasis on narrative.
As a Senior Systems Designer, you are responsible for the design, tuning and maintenance of many important, complex systems, from core gameplay to economy and progression systems, with the goal of delivering a more dynamic player experience. You are a key bridge between Design and the Art and Code disciplines. You are also responsible for designing both features and dev-facing tools for use in Unreal. You care about shaping an engaging player experience and bringing together a blend of creative and technical skills and experience.
Responsibilities
Design, prototype and implement complex gameplay systems and tools, in collaboration with the other Designers, Artists and Programmers
Provide team-facing documentation to inform and guide the work of downstream groups
Provide creative and technical feedback on the work of other Designers
Understand, interpret and execute on creative direction, in alignment with project goals
Act as a technical expert on key features and participate in data debugging
Guide the technical work of others and ensure that content creation follows documented best practices
Help test new tools / features before distribution to the rest of the team
Participate in planning a roadmap to completion for the systems for which you’re responsible
Mentor designers and promote good design principles across the team
Requirements
Minimum 6 years in technical design or systems design
Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of game design processes and skills investigating in-game issues
At least two shipped titles
Experience with Unreal 5 and Blueprints
Self-direction and a proven ability to thrive in a highly technical environment
Pluses
Experience with other areas of design (level design, UX/UI, encounter scripting, etc.)
Experience playing modern first person games, including genres like Immersive Sim or Action-RPG
Experience or knowledge of 2D / 3D software
Experience with a variety of game engines
Experience with version control software
Skills Required
- Minimum 6 years in technical design or systems design
- Demonstrated knowledge of game design processes and debugging in-game issues
- At least two shipped titles
- Experience with Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprints
- Self-direction and ability to thrive in a highly technical environment
- Experience with other design areas (level design, UX/UI, encounter scripting)
- Experience playing modern first-person games (Immersive Sim, Action-RPG)
- Experience or knowledge of 2D/3D software
- Experience with a variety of game engines
- Experience with version control software
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.
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