Principal Game Designer - EA SPORTS UFC

Electronic Arts; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading game development company in Canada is seeking a Principal Game Designer to shape the creative direction of their flagship UFC franchise. The role involves strategic leadership, driving content and systems design, and fostering collaboration across teams. Ideal candidates will have over 8 years of game design experience with proven success in action-oriented games and live services. Competitive benefits include extensive vacation and family leave options, free games, and a collaborative workplace culture.

Benefits

Vacation (3 weeks per year)

10 days of sick time

Paid parental leave

Health/dental/vision coverage

Life and disability insurance

Retirement plan

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional game design experience, including senior leadership on at least one shipped AAA title.
• Proven expertise designing content, systems, and/or narrative for action-oriented or fighting games.
• Experience designing and operating features for live service titles.

Responsibilities

• Partner with creative leadership to define and uphold the design direction across various features.
• Drive the creation, implementation, and iteration of core features, content, and live service programs.
• Design and tune gameplay, events, and social systems to engage players.

Skills

Game design expertise

Leadership in game design

Analytical mindset

Collaboration skills

Experience with live service titles

Tools

Frostbite

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next‑level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

EA SPORTS is one of the most iconic brands in entertainment, connecting hundreds of millions of players to the sports they love. The EA SPORTS UFC franchise brings the spectacle and intensity of mixed martial arts to a global audience through inventive technology and authentic gameplay. Our team is driven by a mission to build the world’s greatest fighting game, and we are looking for a rising Production leader to help us get there.

We are looking for a Principal Game Designer to help shape the creative direction of UFC. You will operate as a strategic, senior craft leader—driving content, systems, and live service design while partnering closely with cross‑disciplinary leaders to bring our vision to life. This role blends world‑building, systems thinking, live service expertise, and top‑tier execution. You will report to the Creative Director (or Design Director, depending on team structure).

Responsibilities:

• Partner with creative leadership to define and uphold the design direction across systems, content, and live service features.
• Drive the creation, implementation, and iteration of core features, content, and live service programs from concept to completion.
• Design and tune gameplay, events, and social systems that keep players engaged, connected, and returning.
• Guide and mentor members of the design team, establish best practices, and elevate overall design quality.
• Work closely with engineering, art, narrative, production, and QA to ensure features are built, tested, and delivered at a high standard.
• Analyze playtests, telemetry, and community insights to refine features and make informed design decisions.
• Identify risks, propose solutions, and help strengthen pipelines, tools, and workflows supporting live service development.

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of professional game design experience, including senior leadership on at least one shipped AAA title.
• Proven expertise designing content, systems, and/or narrative for action‑oriented or fighting games.
• Experience designing and operating features for live service titles.
• Demonstrated ability to write clear, detailed design documentation that communicates intent, flow, and technical requirements.
• Hands‑on implementation skills using scripting, content pipelines, or proprietary tools (e.g., Frostbite, Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Strong analytical mindset with experience tuning features based on data, playtests, and community feedback.
• Exceptional collaboration, communication, and mentorship skills.
• Deep understanding of sports culture and fandom.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

PAY RANGES

In British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top‑up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full‑time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.

We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well‑being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.