Principal Game Designer (Genre Specialist)

Tencent; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Tencent Games' Game Research Center is seeking a veteran game design leader with extensive hands-on development experience across global shooter, casual competitive, and RPG genres. You will help define the next generation of gameplay standards and provide strategic direction for Tencent's overseas portfolio.

You will work directly with project teams to solve design challenges in live services, iterate on gameplay pillars, and benchmark top titles to inform reusable design frameworks.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of game design experience with at least 5 years as a lead designer on large projects.
• Experience in global shooter, casual competitive or RPG design.
• Experience with major global IPs or live game franchises.
• Strong industry recognition and ability to present at conferences.

Responsibilities

• Gameplay and systems design across multiple genres.
• Define and refine minute-to-minute gameplay, controls, movement, and feedback across visual, audio, and haptic layers.
• Lead the design evaluation and strategic improvement of core gameplay pillars (3C, combat/system design, level design, progression).
• Ensure systems are accessible, strategically deep, replayable and fun in the long term.
• Provide hands-on design consultation to teams on shooter-related challenges and live service balance.
• Represent Tencent at industry events (GDC, Devcom) to strengthen design influence.

Job description

Business Unit

Tencent Games was established in 2003. We are a leading global platform for game development, operations and publishing, and the largest online game community in China.

Tencent Games has developed and operated over 140 games. We provide cross‑platform interactive entertainment experience for more than 800 million users in over 200 countries and regions around the world. Honor of Kings, PUBG MOBILE, and League of Legends, are some of our most popular titles around the world.

Meanwhile, we actively promote the development of esports industry, work with global partners to build an open, collaborative and symbiotic industrial ecology, and create high‑quality digital life experiences for players.

About The Hiring Team

Game Research Center (GRC) is a department focusing on game industry study, game analysis, game design research, data analysis and game development supporting. We’re one of the world’s leading research facility in game industry, building a global knowledge tank to help our teams make better decisions. We’re looking for innovative and passionate team members who love all kinds of games and have insight about the challenging global market.

What The Role Entails

This role sits within the GRC (Game Research Center) team. Its core mission is to bring in a highly authoritative game design leader with extensive hands‑on development experience across global shooter, casual competitive and RPG game genres. We are looking for a true genre expert who can help define the next generation of gameplay standards. This individual will provide Tencent’s overseas portfolio with stronger strategic direction on product design trends, solve critical design challenges in active development, and identify opportunities for the next evergreen game franchise.

Key Responsibilities

• Gameplay and Systems Design
• Define and refine best‑in‑class minute‑to‑minute gameplay experience, including controls, movement, and player feedback across visual, audio, and haptic layers.
• Build scalable and deeply engaging gameplay systems, including combat systems, character control, level interaction, mission flow, progression systems, and long‑term engagement loops.
• Lead the design evaluation and strategic improvement of core gameplay pillars, including 3C, combat/system design, level design, mission structure, world interaction, and player progression.
• Ensure systems are accessible, strategically deep, highly replayable, and fun over the long term.
• Genre Expertise and Design Benchmarking
• Analyze leading global games in global shooter, casual competitive and RPG game genres, and turn those insights into reusable design frameworks.
• Set high‑quality design benchmarks for core projects, including 3C, system interaction, and world exploration pacing.
• Project Support and Evaluation
• Work directly with project teams to solve critical design problems, especially in GaaS systems, gameplay innovation, and economy balance.
• Review prototypes and milestone builds to ensure projects are both fun and distinctive in the global market.
• Provide hands‑on design consultation to teams in development, with particular focus on high‑priority shooter‑related challenges, while also supporting selected opportunities in innovative casual and RPG projects.
• Help identify genre opportunities, product risks, and improvement areas early through expert review, structured feedback, and design modeling.
• Industry Leadership
• Represent the company through thought leadership at industry events such as GDC, Devcom, and similar conferences.
• Use your industry reputation and network to connect with top global design talent and strengthen Tencent’s influence in game development.

Who We Look For

• 10+ years of experience in game design, with at least the past 5 years spent as a lead designer or core systems owner on globally recognized large‑scale game projects.
• Proven success in at least two of the following areas:
  • Shooter games, with strong practical experience in level design, 3C, combat design, and/or gameplay systems design
  • Casual competitive games, especially products involving creative sandbox, party royale, social‑creative, or AI‑enhanced gameplay experiences
  • RPG games, with strong experience in narrative design, world‑building, and/or quest design.
• Experience working on major global IPs or well‑known live game franchises.
• Strong industry recognition, ideally demonstrated through thought leadership and speaking engagements at major industry conferences or forums.

Core Skills

• Strong ability to design systems from the ground up that support long‑term player engagement.
• Deep understanding of gameplay loops such as combat, progression, mission structure, exploration, social interaction, player creativity, and long‑term retention.
• Strong expertise in 3C feel, including responsiveness, combat impact, camera, and audiovisual feedback.
• Strong understanding of hardcore players, competitive fairness, and player communities.

Soft Skills

• Fluent English, with the ability to work effectively with global development teams.
• Strong structured thinking: able to turn creative ideas into clear design documents and system models.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a practical and supportive approach.

Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent

As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community. We foster an environment where every employee of Tencent feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.