Demo

Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer

absurdventures
Santa Monica, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 4/18/2025
AVAILABLE BEFORE 6/18/2025

Summary 

We are seeking a Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer to be a vision holder and hands-on contributor for combat, character, controls, and camera design in an open world action-adventure game. The person in this role will lead a team of multi-disciplinary specialists to deliver best-in-class combat and third person action across multiple game modes. 

Core Responsibilities 

  • Drive the design and implementation of all moment-to-moment player-feel gameplay in alignment with direction from a senior leadership team. 
  • Establish a gameplay vision that serves the player fantasies and creative direction, then evangelize that vision to the broader team. 
  • Work closely with animation, engineering, and other disciplines to create world class enemy design and player progression systems. 
  • Rally designers, engineers, animators, artists, and external co-dev partners to deliver playable progress at regular intervals as part of a rapid iterative process. 
  • Incorporate feedback from peers, play-tests, and senior leadership to refine and pivot as the game demands. 
  • Go beyond documentation and management to lead from the trenches, with hands-on contributions to the playable experience. 
  • Establish metrics and best practices for environment and encounter design to support optimal gameplay. 

Core Qualifications 

  • 5 or more years of experience in combat design for an action game. 
  • Experience developing both melee and shooting action mechanics. 
  • Sensitivity to animation systems and how they relate to combat and action gameplay design. 
  • Awareness of casual gamers’ needs and ability to reduce barriers to entry with accessible moment-to-moment gameplay. 
  • High attention to detail with the ability to communicate and directly implement precision refinements that take an experience from good to great. 
  • High confidence and comfort in the technical, aesthetic, and design aspects of gameplay and player-feel. 
  • Recent experience with direct implementation in the form of visual scripting, animation, or other individual contributions to action gameplay. 
  • Experience developing non-combat forms of action gameplay (driving, mounts, climbing, traversal, platforming, etc.) 
  • Experience leading multidisciplinary teams is a plus. 
  • Multiplayer combat design experience is a plus. 
  • Experience in UE4 or UE5 is a plus. 
  • Experience working with co-development partners is a plus. 

Description  

  • Full-time job with benefits.  
  • Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.  
  • Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway.  

The base pay range for this position is $125,000 to $165,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

Salary : $125,000 - $165,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$65,700 - $87,740
Income Estimation: 
$83,758 - $120,604
Income Estimation: 
$85,588 - $121,698
Income Estimation: 
$99,929 - $128,438
Income Estimation: 
$121,609 - $163,363
Income Estimation: 
$128,327 - $171,691
Income Estimation: 
$114,374 - $159,695
Income Estimation: 
$153,184 - $199,453
Income Estimation: 
$168,331 - $227,619
Income Estimation: 
$65,970 - $82,220
Income Estimation: 
$81,231 - $101,523
Income Estimation: 
$87,337 - $118,253
Income Estimation: 
$81,231 - $101,523
Income Estimation: 
$99,929 - $128,438
Income Estimation: 
$109,766 - $145,968

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs with skills like those required for the Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer.

Click the checkbox next to the jobs that you are interested in.

  • Backup/Recovery Skill

    • Income Estimation: $121,693 - $161,895
    • Income Estimation: $128,195 - $161,806
  • Brand Management Skill

    • Income Estimation: $126,194 - $181,510
    • Income Estimation: $131,137 - $174,711
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at absurdventures

absurdventures
Hired Organization Address Santa Monica, CA Full Time
We will be staffing more roles for our Animated Series teams in the future. If you would like to submit a general applic...
absurdventures
Hired Organization Address Santa Monica, CA Full Time
Summary We are seeking a talented and experienced Lead VFX Artist to spearhead the creation of stunning visual effects f...
absurdventures
Hired Organization Address Santa Monica, CA Full Time
Summary We are looking for a versatile and experienced Senior Sound Designer to support our audio team in creating and i...
absurdventures
Hired Organization Address Santa Monica, CA Full Time
Summary As the Principal Biome Artist, you will oversee the creation of all in game biomes that define our world. You wi...

Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer jobs in the Santa Monica, CA area that may be a better fit.

Senior/Lead Gameplay Designer

Absurd Ventures, Santa Monica, CA

Lead Designer, Gameplay

WB Games / Avalanche, Burbank, CA

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!