Principal Game Designer

Job Description

As a Game Designer, you will design and optimize the player experience. Your analytical skills, player insight, and creativity help craft in- and out-of-game experiences that engage and surprise players. You will collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and work with every tool at hand to create innovative, player-focused designs that'll delight millions around the world. Working on an early stage product, you will help decipher one of Riot's next big bets.
As a Principal Game Designer specializing in core gameplay on the R&D team, you excel in designing Mechanics and Systems for combat-centric experiences. You partner with other designers, artists, and engineers to create and iterate on a variety of combat and combatant features, ranging from player control, animation, and abilities, to enemy AI, progression trees, and hit reaction systems. All of these features contribute to a combat experience which is deep, compelling, and always feels great to play. You will report to the Design Manager on the team.

Responsibilities:
• Design and improve mechanics and systems that satisfy players and further solidify the game concept.
• Lead small cross disciplinary teams (2-5 people) to build systems and mechanics that achieve product goals.
• Create and provide multiple potential designs and solutions. Articulate trade-offs and risks between different options.
• Playtest the game and help push for continued improvements for existing designs and fresh prototypes.
• Seek opportunities for new design spaces in collaboration with Product Managers and Design Leadership.
Required Qualifications:
• 8+ years of experience in professional Game Design
• 4+ years of experience in either Combat Mechanics or Combat Feel
• You have demonstrated proficiency in scripting in at least one engine in a shipped title
• Shipped or worked on at least one AAA+ online game
• Can create complex mechanics and systems with attention to the player impacts and downstream effects
Desired Qualifications:
• Experience in combat and AI design
• Is familiar with the LoL IP
For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

• (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-xkwvno-18-97-9-168-42 in your application.