Senior Game Designer - The Sims

Job Description

Welcome to Maxis, home to tinkerers, craftspeople, & storytellers. Our drive is to inspire everyone to make a better world through creative play. As the developer of The Sims, we create games and experiences for millions of people around the world and are always looking for new ways to inspire our players. Maxis is a place where you can do what you love and help others grow while doing it; a place where your unique voice can be heard and seen. We put creativity and inclusivity at the core of our work and don't settle for seeing the world only as it is, but strive to build a world as it could be.

In this role you will be part of the Project Rene team building out the next generation game and creative platform. Project Rene is a Mobile + HD cross-platform that allows players to play The Sims alone or with friends, without barriers, for the first time ever. Explore the dramatic lives of your Sims in the most accessible, dynamic Simulation to date. Players can create characters, customize furniture, design apartments, and more using accessible tools.

You will be reporting to the Development Director.

Location: Remote North America - open to most North America locations

The Simulation Designer's role will be to drive the design and implementation of core simulation gameplay systems. This will involve working with cross-discipline groups toward a common defined vision as well as supporting efforts with design documentation and technical implementation.

Responsibilities
• Advocate and maintain the vision of the project set by the Design Directors and lead multiplayer designer.
• Become an expert on the game and our target audience, drawing from data, research, and playtesting to make and defend design decisions.
• Design and own major systems, mechanics, and content from concept through implementation and live service.
• Determine gameplay experience goals for owned features and guide implementation and tuning of those features to meet those goals.
• Find practical and creative solutions that achieve the intended player experience and fit within the project scope.
• Advocate for your designs and get the team excited to work on them.
• Collaborate with diverse teams to get support from the team and guide your designs from initial design to final production.
• Partner with Experience Design to make complex gameplay systems into easy to understand and delightful experiences for players.
• Become an expert on Maxis' proprietary game development tools to implement your designs, tune, and bug fix.
• Establish and champion implementation and tuning best practices across the design team.
• Partner with Development Directors to track tasks, identify risk, and clarify changes in design work.

Qualifications
• Senior Level: At least 7 years of game design experience.
• Expertise in multiplayer design for PC, console, mobile, and live service games.
• Expertise in game development tools and engines.
• Implemented designs in past games using scripts, blueprints, or in an editor.
• Excellent creative, analytical, and systems design skills with an ability to write detailed design documentation throughout a project life cycle.
• Experience designing and creating requirements for proprietary tools.
• Effective at working both autonomously and in groups of different profiles.
• Knowledge of popular interactive story machinima, simulation games, or mod communities (ex: The Sims, Episodes, Grand Theft Auto Online).
• Comfortable with different stages of development, from pre-production through live service.

Desirable Skills
• Experience in Unreal.
• Technical Design, scripting, modding, or engineering background.
• Worked on a AAA HD title in a Game Design role.
• Experience in Tools design.
• Experience in LiveOps environment.
• Experience with games in The Sims PC franchise or other simulation games.

US COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these states. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the base salary range and benefits for your specific location.

EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Salary offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

BASE SALARY RANGES
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):

º $113,300 - $171,700
• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):

º $111,500 - $171,700
• Jersey City, NJ:

º $126,700 - $171,700
• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):

º $111,500 - $144,000
• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):

º $111,500 - $157,300

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rv2m8n-18-119-121-38-42 in your application.