Technical & Systems Game Designer

Job Description

Technical & Systems Game Designer (New Game Incubation Team)

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when accomplished people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle.

We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide. Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talents in the industry.

Description:

We are looking for a Technical & Systems Game Designer to join a lean incubation team developing a brand new IP.

Why Join Us:
• Pioneer new ways for players to 'adventure until the heat death of the universe.'
• You're excited to work on a game that favors open-ended systems over tightly scripted moments, where players create their own stories through gameplay.
• You value a gameplay-focused dev culture.
• This is a founding member opportunity with major creative involvement from start to ship.
• We actively work to create close trust and connection between teammates.
• The phrase, 'High autonomy, high responsibility, with low oversight', appeals to you.
• You'll work on a lean team, where your contributions have a major impact to the project.
• No crunch or overtime. We don't glorify this behavior!

Responsibilities:
• As part of the Game Design team, invent, then implement gameplay systems and features consistent with project goals and tenets.
• Validate your gameplay hypotheses through rapid prototyping and team feedback.
• Ensure your work does not incur unplanned technical debt.
• Communicate system designs to teammates in an audience-appropriate way.
• Make your gameplay inventions genuinely flavorful to players, enriching the fiction of the world without compromising playable function and the long-term health of the game.
• Lightweight self-production: basic task breakdowns, estimates, and timekeeping.
• Model the culture and help build the team. Rotate through interview panels with all disciplines, onboard new hires, help tend to team health and culture in open team discussions.
• Promote and build an inclusive work environment.
• Work with developers in all disciplines and contribute to topics at the project level. While everyone has an area of focus, building a great game and a great development experience is everyone's responsibility.

Qualifications:
• Fluency in one or more text-based scripting or programming languages such as C++, C#, or JavaScript, among others.
• Very experienced with hands-on, iterative, rapid prototyping and direct implementation of gameplay features.
• Experience building interrelated core gameplay systems. You are skilled at making unknown design spaces known, and can personally implement your systems such that they are easily extended by others in the future.
• You've worked in domains where you've had to do some of the following:
• Blend elements of strategic and real-time gameplay.
• Design very permissive and re-playable experiences that promote inventive player expression and cleverness.
• Invent and implement durable play patterns.
• 1 shipped commercial game OR a portfolio of personal projects which demonstrate your technical skills and the aforementioned design capabilities. (Please note: In the latter case, we require that your portfolio include at least one self-started solo project.)

If all this excites you, then we want to talk to you. Don't let doubt deter you! We are an equal opportunity team excited about our next journey. We are always looking for people bursting with creative energy to join us, so don't hesitate to apply. Please submit a resume and a link to your portfolio. We will get back to you once we have a chance to review!

(Please note: We are open to considering long-term remote WFH options for candidates within 3 hours of our PST timezone.)

US COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

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

EA has listed the base salary ranges in good faith and expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed as of the time of this posting. The 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 $108,700 - $166,550
• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):
º $107,450 - $166,550
• New Jersey (depending on location e.g. Jersey City vs. Trenton):
º $107,450 - $166,550
• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):
º $107,450 - $153,250
• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):
º $107,450 - $153,250

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 (following 1 year of service), 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-g41n57-3-133-156-156-42 in your application.