Systems / Game Designer

Kaiko; Frankfurt (Oder); On-site; EUR 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiko in Germany is seeking a Systems Designer to design, analyze and balance gameplay systems for a stylized, combat-driven top-down action-adventure. You will work with the Game Director and programmers to translate requirements into clear systems and document parameters for implementation.

You will iterate through testing and feedback, ensure documentation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, and contribute to the overall player experience.

Qualifications

• Experience in systems design or game design.
• At least one shipped game in the video game industry.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop gameplay systems in line with the project's design requirements and overall vision
• Analyze existing implementations and competing games to identify opportunities, strengths, and potential improvements
• Break down complex gameplay concepts into clear, structured, and implementable designs
• Document system logic, design decisions, parameters, as well as dependencies clearly and work closely with the Game Director, game programmers and other disciplines during implementation
• Set up and maintain tuning and balancing systems to support efficient iteration
• Test, evaluate, and refine gameplay systems in collaboration with QA and the wider development team
• Identify issues and inconsistencies, propose solutions, and follow through on improvements

Skills

Systems Design

Game Design

Job description

About the Role

As a Systems Designer, you will be responsible for designing, analyzing, and balancing gameplay systems in line with the design goals of our current project, which is a stylized, combat-driven top-down action-adventure.

You will work closely with the Game Director and game programmers to translate design requirements into clear, workable systems, establish the documentation and parameters needed to implement and tune them, and iterate on the results through testing and feedback.

This role requires both analytical thinking and a practical understanding of game development. You should be comfortable working with complex gameplay interactions, documenting your designs, and collaborating across disciplines to make sure systems work as intended and contribute to the overall player experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop gameplay systems in line with the project's design requirements and overall vision
• Analyze existing implementations and competing games to identify opportunities, strengths, and potential improvements
• Break down complex gameplay concepts into clear, structured, and implementable designs
• Document system logic, design decisions, parameters, as well as dependencies clearly and work closely with the Game Director, game programmers and other disciplines during implementation
• Set up and maintain tuning and balancing systems to support efficient iteration
• Test, evaluate, and refine gameplay systems in collaboration with QA and the wider development team
• Identify issues and inconsistencies, propose solutions, and follow through on improvements

Requirements

• Professional experience in Systems Design and/or Game Design
• At least one shipped game in the video game industry