Contractor - Senior Designer

Aspyr Media; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A game publishing company in Austin, Texas, seeks a Senior Game Designer to mentor teams and guide design decisions for major titles. You will review gameplay mechanics, collaborate closely with Product Management on requirements, and ensure player engagement across all projects. The ideal candidate has over 7 years of experience with at least 2 shipped titles. This in-office role offers the opportunity to work with beloved franchises within a dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional game design experience.
• Experience with at least 2 shipped titles in Senior, Lead, or Principal design roles.
• Strong understanding of game systems and player experience.

Responsibilities

• Review and influence design decisions for assigned projects.
• Partner with the Product Management team in writing and refining Product Requirement Documents.
• Evaluate gameplay with focus on responsiveness and character control.

Skills

Game design expertise

Analytical skills

Collaboration with teams

Proficiency in using spreadsheets

Tools

Unreal Engine

Job description

Please note that all positions posted for Aspyr Media, Inc. are in-person/in-office only; remote positions are not available.

Aspyr is a leading game publisher and developer, bringing the world's biggest franchises and bold new projects to players everywhere. Since 1996, we’ve published over 200 games and our team is dedicated to bringing beloved franchises like Tomb Raider and Star Wars to new and familiar audiences across all platforms. We focus on collaboration and creativity, crafting high-quality, engaging games that leave a lasting impact on players worldwide.

Responsibilities:

• Review and influence design decisions for assigned projects, ensuring coherence of vision, mechanics, and player experience
• Deconstruct legacy mechanics and partner with Product Management to determine what must be preserved for authenticity and what should evolve for modern audiences
• Provide analysis and insight into core loops, progression, pacing, and player motivation to ensure each game feels intentional and robust
• Serve as a creative advisor during development reviews, build critiques, and milestone evaluations with internal teams and external partners
• Evaluate gameplay with a focus:
  • Responsiveness and camera feel
  • Character control and feedback fidelity
  • Consistency of pacing, difficulty curve, and engagement
• Deliver clear, objective, and actionable feedback that improves overall player experience while honoring original design intent
• Partner with the Product Management team to help write, review, and refine Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) to clearly capture:
  • Gameplay goals and measurable success criteria
  • System requirements and dependencies
  • How original mechanics are adapted or modernized
  • Conformance with IP holder direction and quality standards
• Validate that requirements are actionable, feasible, and aligned with design vision before implementation begins
• Help interpret, communicate, and defend design intent to partners while being responsive to technical needs and feedback
• Work with IP holders to ensure creative and mechanical decisions honor their direction and quality expectations
• Assess how narrative beats and progression are supported by gameplay systems
• Help teams integrate environmental storytelling and pacing that reinforces engagement and clarity
• Standardize practices for design documentation, tuning, and feedback loops

Preferred Qualifications:

• 7+ years of professional game design experience
• At least 2 shipped titles in Senior, Lead, or Principal design roles
• Deep understanding of game systems and player experience fundamentals across genres
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate experiential qualities into actionable improvement plans
• Comfortable using spreadsheets (Excel / Sheets) for balance, progression, and system modeling
• Familiarity with engine tools (Unreal and/or proprietary) sufficient to navigate builds, understand technical constraints, and communicate effectively with engineering
• Experience on remasters, remakes, or major ports of legacy IP and collaborating directly with IP holders of licensed properties
• Background in narrative design, UX/UI, or player psychology
• Prior experience shaping or reviewing PRDs, feature specs, partner deliverables, or partner QA processes
• Experience in cross-project design leadership within a creative organization

Aspyr is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Aspyr are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Aspyr will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Aspyr encourages applicants of all ages.