Principal Game Designer, Levels - Unpublished R&D Product

All Game Designers at Riot have a base set of skills: you design, tweak, and optimize the player experience. Your analytical skills, player insight, and creativity aid in crafting 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 innovate and iterate player-focused designs that'll delight millions around the world.

As Principal Level Designer on the MMO team, you will help prove an innovative game concept in the early stages of development. The ideal candidate is very experienced in Level Design. You will help us define the theory and best practices of our level design process and deliver bar setting demonstrations of our world to validate our direction. You partner with other designers, artists, and engineers to build and iterate player-focused designs that aim at delivering a groundbreaking experience. This requires lots of hands-on work creating, iterating, and tuning levels and encounters. You are comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment where goals and constraints are mostly team driven and where change, big and small, is a critical part of the process. You will report to the Level Design Director on the team.

Responsibilities:

• Design or help design MMO levels and open world or interior environments
• Responsible for rapid implementation and iterations on levels and world environments
• Work collaboratively with the Design team and project leads to create a great holistic experience
• Create high level principles and best practices for future level design work
• Help guide the project from prototype to pre-production and ultimately even launch and ongoing live support
• Design, implement, and improve mechanics and systems that satisfy players and increase confidence in the game concept. 
• Lead small cross disciplinary teams (2-4 people) to build environments that facilitate core gameplay and 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.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in professional Level Design
• Demonstrated industry leading work in Level Design 
• Experience with using environments to shape the player experience, enhance combat systems, create intuitive navigation, and social connections between players
• Has demonstrated proficiency at level building in an established game engine
• Has experience developing template/model content (that serves as the basis for more junior staff to build upon)
• Shipped or worked on at least one AAA+ game
• Deep level of understanding, passion, and engagement with online multiplayer PvE and PVP games (ARPG, MMOs, etc)

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working on a live product 
• Experience with level design for open world games or MMOs
• Experience designing AI/combat NPCs, content design, or player combat design
• Is familiar with the LoL IP
• Significant proficiency (3+ years experience) with Unreal
• Extensive experience playing and ideally developing MMORPGs
• Is interested in managing other designers

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!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.