Head of Game Development

ESCAPE GROUP PTE. LTD.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading immersive entertainment company in Greater London is seeking a Head of Game Development to oversee and enhance game experiences. This role encompasses creative vision, technical systems architecture, and operational reliability. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in immersive design and strong leadership skills. Responsibilities include managing game development timelines, ensuring technical standards, and leading teams towards innovation. This position is critical for maintaining company leadership in the market.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in escape room / immersive experience design.
• Proven experience leading complex physical game builds.
• Experience managing creative and technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and approval of game mechanics and player journeys.
• Architect and oversee game systems including sensors and PLCs.
• Own the maintenance framework for all games.

Skills

Leadership

Creative direction

Engineering oversight

Puzzle design

Tools

Microcontrollers

Sensors

Audio-visual systems

Job description

The Head of Game Development is responsible for leading the end-to-end creation, evolution, and technical excellence of Xcape Singapore’s escape room and immersive game experiences. This role owns game concept, puzzle design, technical systems, build quality, maintenance strategy, and innovation roadmap, ensuring that Xcape remains a market leader in immersive entertainment.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining creative direction, engineering oversight, and operational reliability, bridging game design with real-world execution.

Key Responsibilities

1. Game & Experience Design Leadership

• Lead the creative vision for all escape room games, seasonal events, and special experiences.

• Design and approve game mechanics, puzzle flows, difficulty balancing, and player journey (entry → climax → finale).

• Ensure games meet commercial objectives: replayability, throughput, reset time, and customer satisfaction.

• Translate narratives and themes into physical, interactive gameplay.

2. Technical & Engineering Oversight

• Architect and oversee game systems, including:

  • Sensors (RFID, IR, pressure, magnetic, capacitive)

  • PLCs, microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi)

  • Audio-visual triggers, lighting, automation, and control systems

• Set technical standards for robustness, safety, and maintainability.

• Review and approve all wiring, hardware layouts, and software logic.

• Drive innovation using new technologies (e.g. IoT, AR elements, adaptive puzzles).

3. Maintenance & Reliability Strategy

• Own the maintenance framework for all games:

  • Preventive maintenance schedules

  • Spare parts strategy

  • Failure tracking and root-cause analysis

• Reduce downtime, false triggers, and game resets.

• Ensure games can run reliably with frontline staff operation, not engineers on standby.

4. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and mentor game designers, technicians, and external vendors.

• Build internal documentation:

  • Game logic diagrams

  • Troubleshooting SOPs

  • Reset and emergency bypass procedures

• Train operations staff and Game Masters on technical awareness and escalation protocols.

• Set hiring standards for future game development and tech roles.

5. Project Management & Delivery

• Own game development timelines, budgets, and milestones.

• Manage build cycles from concept → prototype → testing → launch → post‑launch tuning.

• Coordinate with:

  • Operations

  • Marketing (for launches & campaigns)

  • External contractors and fabricators

• Ensure on‑time launches with minimal post‑opening technical issues.

6. Innovation & Growth

• Develop Xcape’s long‑term game innovation roadmap.

• Research global trends in escape rooms, immersive theatre, and experiential entertainment.

• Support regional expansion or franchising with scalable, replicable game systems.

• Explore IP collaborations, brand partnerships, and seasonal overlays (e.g. Halloween).

Key Requirements

Experience

• 8–12+ years experience in one or more of the following:

  • Escape room / immersive experience design

  • Interactive installations

  • Themed attractions

  • Game systems engineering

• Proven experience leading complex physical game builds, not just conceptual design.

• Experience managing both creative and technical teams.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of:

  • Sensors, relays, actuators, and control systems

  • Low‑voltage electronics and wiring best practices

  • Basic programming / logic flows for interactive systems

• Ability to diagnose and fix real‑world failures under operational pressure.

• Familiarity with show control systems is a strong advantage.

Game Design Skills

• Deep understanding of:

  • Puzzle design principles

  • Player psychology and frustration thresholds

  • Difficulty tuning for mass‑market audiences

• Ability to design games that are fun, fair, and commercially viable, not just clever.

Leadership & Mindset

• Strong ownership mentality — treats games as live products, not one‑off builds.

• Comfortable balancing creativity with cost, reliability, and operational constraints.

• Excellent communication with non‑technical stakeholders.

• Calm, decisive, and solution‑oriented during incidents.

Nice‑to‑Have

• Experience with AR/VR, projection mapping, or immersive audio.

• Experience scaling games across multiple locations or franchises.

• Background in themed entertainment, museums, or experiential marketing.

• Prior work in Southeast Asia markets.