Senior Designer, Gameplay

Storytelling is, and will always be, the heart of what we do at Skydance.

Our vision is to build a thriving entertainment ecosystem where stories and worlds are imagined, brought to life and experienced. We create for every age and audience, anchored by the strength of our content and experiences and the depth of our connection with fans. We are creator-first, audience-focused, tech-forward, globally scaled.

Here, you’ll work with talented teams that move fast, think boldly and collaborate with purpose to deliver results. We aim high, champion the best ideas and win together, earning the trust of our employees, creators, partners and audiences every day.

If you’re energized by the opportunity to help build the next-generation global media and entertainment company powered by creativity and technology, we’d be thrilled to welcome you aboard. LET’S GO!

Avalanche is a Warner Bros. Games studio located in downtown Salt Lake City nestled against the backdrop of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. We’ve been in the video game business since 1995, creating interactive experiences for fans of the world’s largest franchises. Join the team behind the blockbuster open world, action RPG Hogwarts Legacy as we create what’s next!

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WB Games Avalanche – Senior Designer, Gameplay Mechanics      

*Position is onsite days Avalanche Studio in Salt Lake City, UT. Relocation assistance provided for qualified candidates out of the area.

Join the team behind 2023’s smash hit Hogwarts Legacy! Avalanche Software, a division of WB Games Inc., is seeking a Senior Gameplay Mechanics Designer with a passion for finely tuned gameplay control and feel, vast knowledge of 3C’s design and implementation, inspiring player abilities, and highly responsive moment-to-moment gameplay feel. This position involves direct collaboration with design leadership, the mechanics design team, producers, and other peers across every discipline to help define the goals and experiences for future releases.

The Daily

• Design, prototype, and implement gameplay mechanics with focus on 3Cs, player abilities, and interactions.
• Partner with design leadership to help define pillars, player experience goals, and feature plans that support the broader vision for the game and build on established gameplay mechanics systems.
• Translate high-level creative direction, team feedback, and cross-discipline conversations into clear design documentation, specs, and implementation plans.
• Work closely with discipline leads and stakeholders across the studio to gather input, vet proposals, and align gameplay systems with the broader needs of the project.
• Work closely with production to prioritize features and keep milestones on track.
• Help improve tools, pipelines, and documentation for implementation and iteration, and share those processes with the team.
• Collaborate with engineers, animators, artists, VFX, audio, UI, and other designers to solve gameplay-related technical and design problems.
• Partner with the broader team to tune and refine systems based on leadership & peer feedback, playtest results, and data analysis.
• Contribute to progression, reward, and other connected gameplay systems that complement the moment-to-moment gameplay experience.

The Essentials

• Strong gameplay and systems design experience, with the ability to own features from concept through polish.
• Demonstrated ability to define feature direction and turn broad creative goals into clear design plans and documentation.
• Experience designing and implementing third-person player mechanics in 3D games; action RPG experience preferred.
• Contributed to shipped titles and participated in a full dev cycle from concept through release.
• Experience with Maya, Unreal Engine 5, including Blueprint and other gameplay implementation tools, to create and iterate on gameplay features.
• Excellent collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and provide clear guidance to designers, engineers, and artists.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize feedback from multiple stakeholders into coherent design proposals and implementation specs.

Good to Have

• Experience with broader gameplay and progression systems is a plus.

About Skydance

Skydance is a next-generation global media and entertainment company, comprised of three business segments: Studios, Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media. Skydance's portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS, CNN, CBS Sports, TNT Sports, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV, Food Network, BET, HGTV, and Comedy Central.

Some Important Details

We embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit. In line with the laws of the country or region in which the role is based, this includes consideration without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, religion or belief, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or protected veteran status, union status or any other category protected by applicable law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.