Thatgamecompany

Lead Systems Designer (Economy and Engagement Focus)

Los Angeles, California, United StatesRemoteFull timeLeadPosted 14 days ago
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Lead Systems Designer (Economy and Engagement Focus)
Reports to: Design Lead

We are a small studio dedicated to crafting unique and high-quality interactive experiences, and we are looking for a talented Lead Systems Designer to guide and shape the holistic design of our game economy, core features, and player engagement. You’ll combine leadership with direct hands-on contributions, helping to refine the structure and our gameplay experiences while managing a small team of designers.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of systems thinking, live game design, and practical implementation with an intense player focus — someone who can lead a feature from concept to live operations as well as refine existing systems.

What you'll do here:

- Lead the design and evolution of core systems such as in-game economies (large and small), progression, rewards, and feature loops that drive long-term engagement

- Design and implement interactive features and gameplay patterns with a focus on simplicity and relatability

- Collaborate across disciplines — with engineering, art, and production — to ensure designs are holistic, feasible, and aligned with creative goals

- Analyze player data and behavior to tune economies and experiences that inspire players to return for years to come

- Mentor and manage a small number of designers, helping them grow and thrive in a collaborative environment

- Drive and evangelize best practices in systems design, economy balancing, and live feature iteration

- Help improve and extend internal design tools and pipelines to empower the full design team

You Might Be a Fit If You:

- Help improve and extend internal design tools and pipelines to empower the full design team

- Have deep experience designing and tuning systems for live games, including progression mechanics, currencies, economies, and player engagement loops

- Are skilled in both conceptual design and hands-on implementation (e.g., ...