Senior Game Designer | Candy Crush Saga

King; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

King in London seeks a Senior Game Designer to shape pivotal player moments across onboarding, progression and rewards, driving long-term engagement and value. You will collaborate with Product Managers, UX Designers, Data Scientists and Engineers to design cohesive experiences that span features and systems, ensuring alignment with the broader Candy Crush ecosystem.

Join a fast-paced, creative team and help redefine how players interact with King’s games while delivering measurable engagement

Qualifications

• Strategic thinking across player journeys and long-term value.
• Ability to design across interdependent features and systems.
• Strong understanding of player motivation and engagement.
• Data-informed decision making using qualitative and quantitative insights.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of casual and free-to-play genres.
• Bonus: experience leading discovery and product vision in ambiguous spaces.

Responsibilities

• Own the design of high-impact player experiences that span multiple features, systems and teams.
• Shape and evolve key player journeys, including onboarding, progression, rewards and other moments that influence long-term engagement.
• Develop a holistic vision for player value, ensuring experiences feel meaningful and cohesive.
• Drive discovery and concept development for strategic opportunities that improve engagement and outcomes.
• Collaborate across product teams to align experiences into a seamless journey.
• Create design docs, journey maps and frameworks to communicate vision and drive execution.
• Use qualitative feedback and data to identify friction and opportunities.
• Stay informed on market trends and emerging design practices.

Skills

Strategic Thinker

Systems Designer

Player-Centric

Analytical

Collaborative Influencer

Creative Problem Solver

Market Awareness

Job description

Job Description:Are you passionate about creating memorable player experiences that delight millions of players every day? Do you thrive on solving complex design challenges that span multiple systems, teams and player journeys?

Craft:Games Design & Production

Job Description:Are you passionate about creating memorable player experiences that delight millions of players every day? Do you thrive on solving complex design challenges that span multiple systems, teams and player journeys?We're looking for a strategic and creative Senior Game Designer to join the Player Value team in Candy Crush Saga. In this role, you'll shape some of the most important moments in a player's experience, from their first session through their long-term journey, creating experiences that maximize player value, engagement and delight. You'll have the opportunity to influence the game at a holistic level, working across multiple initiatives and collaborating with teams throughout Candy Crush Saga.Your role within the KingdomAs a Senior Game Designer in the Player Value team, you'll work in a collaborative, fast-paced environment alongside Product Managers, UX Designers, Data Scientists, Engineers and other Game Designers to identify and redesign the moments that matter most to players.You'll think beyond individual features, taking a holistic view of the player journey to create cohesive experiences that improve onboarding, progression, motivation, retention and long-term engagement. From reimagining the first-time user experience to evolving key player journeys, you'll connect insights across the game and drive design strategies that elevate the overall player experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the design of high-impact player experiences that span multiple features, systems and teams.
• Shape and evolve key player journeys, including onboarding, progression, rewards and other critical moments that influence long-term engagement.
• Develop a holistic vision for player value, ensuring experiences feel meaningful, rewarding and cohesive throughout the game.
• Drive discovery and concept development for strategic opportunities that improve player satisfaction, engagement and business outcomes.
• Collaborate across multiple product teams to align experiences into a seamless player journey.
• Create clear design documentation, player journey maps and experience frameworks to communicate vision and drive execution.
• Use qualitative research, player feedback and quantitative data to identify friction points, uncover opportunities and validate design decisions.
• Stay informed on market trends, player expectations and emerging design practices, bringing fresh thinking into the team.
• Champion systems thinking, ensuring new experiences complement the broader Candy Crush ecosystem and reinforce long-term player value.

Skills

• Strategic Thinker – Able to zoom out and design experiences from a player journey perspective, balancing immediate needs with long-term engagement.
• Systems Designer – Comfortable designing across interconnected features and understanding how multiple systems combine to shape player experience.
• Player-Centric – Passionate about understanding player motivations and creating experiences that surprise, delight and build lasting relationships with the game.
• Analytical – Uses data, experimentation and player insights to inform decisions and continuously improve experiences.
• Collaborative Influencer – Excels at working across disciplines and multiple teams, building alignment and driving initiatives that span organizational boundaries.
• Creative Problem Solver – Brings innovative thinking to complex design challenges, identifying opportunities to create meaningful player value at scale.
• Market Awareness – Deep understanding of casual and free-to-play games, player psychology and evolving industry trends.

Bonus Points

• Experience designing player journeys, onboarding, progression, reward systems or engagement loops.
• Experience driving initiatives that span multiple product teams or game systems.
• Experience with UX, service design or product strategy.
• Experience leading discovery work and defining product vision for ambiguous problem spaces.

About KingWith a mission of Making the World Playful, King is a leading interactive entertainment company for the mobile world with more than 20 years of history of delivering some of the world’s most iconic games in the mobile gaming industry, including the world-famous Candy Crush franchise, as well as other mobile titles such as Farm Heroes Saga. Around 200 million people play a King game every month. King, part of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), has Kingsters in Stockholm, Malmö, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Malta. More information can be found at King.com or by following us on LinkedIn and @lifeatking on Instagram.