Creative Director - Games

Job Description

Next Games, founded in 2013 and based in Helsinki, Finland, crafts cutting-edge, approachable games for a global audience inspired by popular Netflix shows and movies, as well as our fresh ideas. We combine the Finnish game development culture with Netflix's global entertainment culture, embracing the strengths of both and empowering our talented and diverse teams to do the best work of their careers.
The Role
As Game Creative Director, you will shape and drive the creative vision for our flagship title, overseeing its artistic, narrative, and experiential direction from launch through live development & operations. Reporting to the Studio Creative Director and working closely with the Game Director, you'll lead and inspire a cross-disciplinary team to deliver innovative, accessible, and emotionally resonant experiences, leveraging some of the world's most iconic IPs and tapping into major pop culture and fandom trends.
You will champion and nurture creative excellence, ensuring every element aligns with our ambition to create memorable, engaging experiences for half a billion members worldwide. Serving as the primary creative voice both within the game and to external stakeholders, you'll advocate for the game's vision at every stage.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities
• Define and communicate the game's creative vision, ensuring alignment across all disciplines
• Collaborate with leads in design, art, narrative, audio, and engineering to deliver a cohesive, polished experience
• Guide concept and prototype development, and validation of innovative gameplay and style
• Oversee narrative, structure, and tone to ensure a compelling player journey
• Partner with production to balance creative ambition with project scope and resources
• Understand a variety of audiences, their fandom towards specific IPs, and tie that into in-game events in ways that resonate back to the audiences
• Maintain high creative standards through regular feedback and reviews
• Represent the creative vision to internal and external stakeholders
• Champion a player-first approach and proactively solve creative challenges

Skills and Abilities
• Strong problem-solving skills with adaptability to feedback and change
• Deep understanding of game design, storytelling, art direction, and player experience
• Proven ability to inspire, empower, and lead cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication, presentation, and collaboration skills - You'll communicate with many cross-functional teams and also non-developers
• Skilled at balancing creativity with practical production needs
• Passionate about delivering innovative, accessible, and engaging games

Education and Experience
• Leadership experience as a Creative Director and/or Game Director on shipped titles, including full-cycle projects and live operated games
• Demonstrated growth through hands-on learning and embracing both success and failure
• Proven experience with genres that have a wide, diverse audience appeal
• Proven success in fast-paced, multi-disciplinary environments and guiding the direction in a live service environment
• Familiarity with production planning, budgeting, and resource management
• Experience fostering inclusive, collaborative teams
The Team
You'll join a diverse studio environment, working primarily from our Helsinki office. We value transparent communication, proactive problem-solving, and enthusiasm for crafting accessible experiences.
This is an exceptional opportunity to join a vibrant and innovative cross-disciplinary team, where you can genuinely make your mark - overseeing a passionate team working on one of Netflix's big bets in gaming, shaping the experience and quality of the combined creative output.
Our guiding light in growing our team is that we don't look for a culture fit - we look for what each person brings to our collective skill set, culture, and values, enriching them. Will you be the person to make us better? Apply now.
Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.
We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-wpxeo2-216-73-216-107-42 in your application.