Lead Game Designer – Creative Development

Lead Game Designer – Creative Development

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in game design for mobile/console/PC/online.
• Has shipped mobile, console, and/or PC games with live operations components.
• Expertise in game and narrative design, including system design, writing, and LiveOps.
• A background in quality gameplay experiences across a variety of genres, platforms, and audiences for games.
• Experience in assessing and editing design and narrative documentation including GDDs, feature specs, narrative outlines, dialogue scripts, etc.
• Experience in leading game design and narrative conversations and initiatives.
• Experience in successfully collaborating and providing creative feedback to external teams, vendors, or agencies.
• Exceptional time management skills with the ability to prioritize effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• A highly motivated, flexible, and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel and a valid passport.
• An avid passion for all things gaming from mobile to console and wider industry trends.
• An obsession with Walt Disney brands, including Disney, Pixar, and Avatar.

Responsibilities

• Represent game design and narrative on large, highly complex projects as an authority on the worlds, stories, and characters of Disney, Pixar, and Avatar.
• Provide editorial feedback and lead discussions on game design documentation, gameplay concepts, features, LiveOps plans, and playable builds, while fostering successful collaboration with partners and stakeholders.
• Review and provide actionable recommendations on story arcs, beats, and scripts to ensure authenticity and quality in our games.
• Proactively identify areas of risk affecting product quality, story, and player experience; provide actionable solutions to mitigate game design and narrative risks.
• Maintain familiarity with current game and game industry products and trends including popular gameplay features, trending genres, current platforms, and commonly leveraged retention and monetization techniques.
• Independently balance a workload of diverse projects in varying stages of development.
• Collaborate with partners to create gameplay experiences that authentically represent our brands and engage gamers and fans alike.
• Exemplify the role of a creative negotiator, representing and advocating on behalf of our development teams, franchise partners, and key stakeholders to deliver against our collective product goals and gameplay needs.
• Creatively and mindfully work within existing and upcoming Disney, Pixar, and Avatar IP guidelines to provide guidance to our partners.
• Work closely with stakeholders to stay up-to-speed on latest D&I guidelines and ensure that the gameplay and stories within our products are being designed and executed mindfully, authentically, and respectfully.
• Mentor and provide game and narrative design guidance to internal team members; share best practices that foster inclusive creativity and elevate game design and storytelling in our products.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and pipelines for yourself and other design team members. Apply best practices to elevate how the team approaches gameplay opportunities and challenges within our products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with large scale, high-profile projects preferred.
• Demonstrated specialization within any of the following categories: Narrative/Writing, LiveOps Design, System Design.