Senior Games Designer

Steel City Interactive Ltd; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a passionate team at an innovative studio dedicated to creating an authentic boxing video game experience. As a Senior Games Designer, you'll take ownership of gameplay features and collaborate closely with talented colleagues to ensure high-quality design that captivates players. With a focus on player experience, you'll prototype in Unreal Engine and contribute to a game that is set to redefine the boxing genre. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a welcoming and creative environment, where your ideas and contributions will be valued. If you're ready to bring your game design expertise to life, this role is for you.

Benefits

23 days annual leave

Flexible working hours

Free snacks, fruit, and drinks

Company sick pay

Healthcare Cash Plan

Career progression path

Unlimited access to Udemy courses

Wrap parties & company outings

Discretionary Cost of Living Payments

Electric Car Vehicle Scheme

Qualifications

• 5+ years in the games industry with a focus on game design.
• Experience in shipping at least one game, preferably on console or PC.

Responsibilities

• Own features from end-to-end implementation and collaborate with the design team.
• Design engaging game mechanics and systems to enhance player experience.

Skills

Game Design

Unreal Engine 4 or 5

Blueprints System

Communication Skills

Critical Thinking

Education

Experience in the Games Industry

Shipped Game Experience

Tools

Unreal Engine

Job description

Location: On-site Sheffield or Hybrid (3 days in office)

Relocation assistance is available.

About Steel City Interactive

SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into ‘Undisputed’, the first major boxing video game in over a decade.

SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We’re a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other.

Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before.

The Role

We're looking for a Senior Games Designer, who will be responsible for gameplay features, game systems and mechanics from conception to completion. Taking responsibility and ownership for various areas of design you’ll work closely with other disciplines to ensure that the features deliver in both quality and to the games vision.

You’ll be a passionate and level-headed designer who will be proactive and will always be thinking about the player experience. You’ll gather feedback and action it where required. Always asking the question, what is the value of the feature for the player and to the business.

You’ll also feel right at home with creating prototypes and mechanics in blueprints in the Unreal Engine to prove out your designs.

This is a full time permanent role(37.5 hours per week).

Responsibilities

· Take ownership of various features from end-to-end implementation, being the focal point for these features within the design team.

· Designing game mechanics and game systems that help keep the player engaged and excited to play our games.

· Using Unreal Engine 5 to build prototypes and prove out design concepts.

· Collaborating with other designers and the game director to ensure that you are delivering features that surprise and delight our players.

· Evangalise features you are working on and the overall game vision to others within the organisation.

· Use critical thinking skills to analyse feedback, and action any required changes.

· Write clear and concise design documentation, ensuring that it is always kept up to date.

· Collaborate with designers, programmers and artists to ensure work is delivered with a consistent quality and on time.

· Working with other designers to ensure that feature knowledge and progress is shared.

· Assess and communicate issues and risk within reasonable timescales.

· Have a keen eye for quality, identifying areas that could be improved, ensuring the game is meeting the highest standards.

· Mentoring and supporting colleagues in both technical and personal development.

Knowledge,Skills & Experience

· At least 5 years in the games industry as a Game Designer.

· Shipped at least one game, where you were heavily involved in game design and gameplay features. Preferably console or PC.

· Proficiency in using Unreal Engine 4 or 5 and the Blueprints system.

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

· Deep understanding of game mechanics and player value.

· Be able to work independently and as part of a team.

What we offer

Healthy work-life balance:

• 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service.
• Christmas shut down
• Holiday exchange programme
• Flexible working hours

Support for family life:

• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay
• Option to add children to our Healthcare Cash Plan

Great office environment:

• A dog friendly studio based in Sheffield, with free snacks, fruit and drinks!
• Free parking

Health & wellbeing support:

• Company sick pay
• 2 days paid Mental Health leave per year
• Healthcare Cash Plan which includes optical and dental
• Access to 24/7 doctors
• Employee Assistance Programme
• £300 wellbeing stipend every January

Learning support:

• Career progression path
• 5 Learning days per year
• Unlimited access to Udemy courses

Additional financial support:

• Technology scheme (up to £750)
• Discount Club at over 350 high street stores
• Discretionary Cost of Living Payments
• Relocation benefits
• Electric Car Vehicle Scheme

Connection and perks:

• Wrap parties & company paid outings
• Individual entertainment budget to cover team events

Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation.

If you’re excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don’t meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you – please let us know about the value you would bring in your application.