This position is located at Snowblind Studios, based in Bothell, WA which has easy access to Seattle and the east side communities of Lake Washington. Snowblind Studios is the award winning game studio, founded in 1997, that brought you critically acclaimed games like Baulder’s Gate: Dark Alliance and the Champions of Norrath series. The teams are very collaborative, hard working and highly motivated working on ground breaking games and projects.
In 2009, Snowblind Studios was acquired by Time Warner, through its Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment division and currently employs over 80 people developing projects on next-generation platforms. You must have a deep passion for games and love making them. You need to be highly motivated, thorough, self directed, able to manage time intelligently, and rebuild and polish your work until it is perfect.
If this is you, Snowblind Studios would love to hear from you!
This position is located at Snowblind Studios, based in Bothell, WA which has easy access to Seattle and the east side communities of Lake Washington. Snowblind Studios is the award winning game studio, founded in 1997, that brought you critically acclaimed games like Baulder’s Gate: Dark Alliance and the Champions of Norrath series. The teams are very collaborative, hard working and highly motivated working on ground breaking games and projects.
In 2009, Snowblind Studios was acquired by Time Warner, through its Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment division and currently employs over 80 people developing projects on next-generation platforms. You must have a deep passion for games and love making them. You need to be highly motivated, thorough, self directed, able to manage time intelligently, and rebuild and polish your work until it is perfect.
If this is you, Snowblind Studios would love to hear from you!
Summary:
The Lead Game Designer is responsible for collaborating on product position and design, for overseeing development of game universe, story and experience, and for approvals of final content. The Lead Game Designer works in partnership with internal and external developers crafting the vision for the product and executing on the production vision. The Lead Game Designer collaborates with leads and executives to identify hires, to grow internal talent, and to identify workflow solutions. The position identifies and communicates game goals and risks, on an ongoing basis, to both internal and external stakeholders in the project(s).
Within the company, the Lead Game Designer also collaborates on design goals and on designer skill requirements. This includes targeting future game positions, identifying production challenges, and developing strategic responses to market needs. The Lead Game Designer periodically assists multiple products in development although the Lead Game Designer focuses on a single product.
Job Responsibilities:
Lead Game Designer is assigned to difficult and large projects, which may include external partnerships.
Participates in setting the overall product vision.
Establishes the universe, story, and game experience of a 3D game.
Leads assigned design team to define the creative vision, technical specifications, fun factor and product content for assigned products (one at a time).
Reviews experience of the shipping product through establishment of clear targets as well as through personal review.
Establishes revision tasks within set iteration budget and collaborates with Producer where revision exceeds scope or schedule.
Collaborates with engineering, design, and art leads to establish strong performance metrics so that product content hits performance and design targets simultaneously.
Understands client design requirements and balances team’s internal design goals with external constraints and requirements to ensure smooth product development.
Establishes, maintains and enhances relationships with inside and outside creative resources, third party vendors, and publishing partners.
Creates design focused marketing material for effective marketing, PR, and promotion, often with little notice.
Works directly with Producer to develop Contract Agreements that protect design requirements of product (including the creation of product Milestone Schedules) and communicates production related issues to the appropriate parties.
Develops strong relationships to establish and maintain a reliable and timely flow of information and materials to all parties as necessary.
Identifies and establishes required high impact experiences to ensure timely delivery of promotional material.
Accountable for keeping resources and expenses within set budgetary goals.
Identifies competitive 3rd party tools for investigation and inclusion in budget consideration.
Works with Producer to delegate Lead Game Designer responsibilities where time and focus prevent effective ownership.
Writes game scripts, establishes design schedules and creates working design documents.
Creates concepts, prototypes and examples that allow developers to develop game content with minimal revision.
Works with personnel on R&D efforts for new game systems and creates playable prototypes as required.
Creates prototype levels that set the style and tone of the product for other designers and level designers to follow.
Creates specific experiences in the product that serve as a quality benchmark for others to follow.
Designs and scripts new game experiences using Monolith's World Edit and other creation tools.
Creates design-focused marketing material for print and online.
Participates in regular, hands on interaction with Producer and software engineers to ensure that the concepts and content of assigned games meet design requirements.
Coordinates and liaises with all necessary departments and divisions to facilitate execution of projects and materials in a professional and client-centric manner. This includes keeping Producer and other Leads apprised of products status.
Interacts and negotiates with talent, creative and agents relating to feature film, TV, and publishing in discussion of design goals.
Works closely with Producer to research and identify and/or obtain clearances for all materials needed for Sales, PR, Marketing and Distribution use.
Provides product design vision to key stakeholders through the preparation and presentation of appropriate project materials (including milestone updates, work-in-progress presentations, etc). Key stakeholders include internal WB divisions such as Theatrical, Consumer Productions or Warner Premiere as well as filmmakers, talent or other external parties as needed.
Work Experience:
Three to six years game design experience required.
Shipped at least two titles.
Education, Professional Training, Technical Training or Certification:
B.A. degree preferred or equivalent job experience.
Knowledge/Skills:
Passion for action and role-playing games.
Strong understanding of fostering a community and fan base for their games.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Ability to work well under pressure and with deadlines.
Strong interest in computer and video games.
Knowledge of level or world building as well as using AI and other object based systems.
Benefits Include:
Incentive Plan, 401(k) matching contribution, relocation assistance, referral award program, tuition reimbursement program, adoption assistance program, employee discount program, 20 days personal leave per year, 10 holidays per year (one is floating), company parties and movie outings, medical/dental/vision (employee is 100% paid, dependents are 80% paid), life, AD&D, LTD, FSA, EAP. (Please note that employee benefits are subject to revocation and modification.)
