Design Director, Systems - Diablo

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC; City of Albany (NY); Hybrid; USD 127.000 - 235.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Zusammenfassung

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is seeking a Systems Design Director to lead our design team for Diablo. You’ll shape high-level game systems, player progression, social features, and overall balance across live-service experiences.

You will mentor senior designers, set a strategic vision, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver compelling gameplay. Flexible hybrid work and on-site options reflect our Albany and Irvine studios.

Qualifikationen

• 12+ years of professional systems design experience in games
• 4+ years leading design teams
• Extensive experience with progression systems, economies, social features and live-service balance

Aufgaben

• Develop and communicate a clear vision for progression, social, gameplay and balance systems.
• Ensure design alignment across multiple teams and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Lead the tuning and iteration of gameplay balance for players across all progression levels.
• Mentor and develop senior designers and lead systems designers.
• Represent Systems Design in leadership discussions and advocate for player experience.

Kenntnisse

Systems design

Leadership

Live-service

Balance systems

Jobbeschreibung

We Need You

The minions of hell are growing stronger...

Join us as we continue to shape the Diablo universe! Diablo games are action RPG experiences with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Come work with us, and together, we’ll create experiences that not only meet but exceed the expectations of those who call Sanctuary home.

As a Systems Design Director, you will lead our talented team of designers on Diablo, overseeing high-level game systems, player progression, social engagement features, and overall game balance. You will guide and mentor a group of seasoned lead designers, setting a strategic vision to deliver compelling and balanced gameplay systems to millions of passionate players worldwide.

This role offers a flexible hybrid work week, with a mix of remote and on-site days. While hybrid is the standard arrangement, you're also welcome to work on-site full-time if you prefer. Our primary studio locations are in Albany, NY, and Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

• Develop and communicate a clear, compelling vision for progression, social, gameplay, and balance systems.
• Ensure design alignment across multiple teams, fostering consistency and cohesion within the player experience.
• Coordinate across departments (Art, Engineering, Production, UX/UI, QA, Live Operations) to facilitate smooth and effective cross-team collaboration.
• Maintain a deep understanding of Diablo’s core mechanics, player motivations, and community expectations to inform system evolution.
• Lead the creation and refinement of progression and reward structures, social engagement mechanics, competitive leaderboards, and economy systems.
• Oversee the tuning and iteration of gameplay balance, ensuring fair and engaging experiences at all levels of player skill and progression.
• Provide mentorship, guidance, and career development to a team of experienced Lead Systems Designers.
• Represent Systems Design in cross-disciplinary leadership discussions, advocating effectively for team goals and player experience.

Minimum Requirements

• 12+ years of professional systems design experience in games, with 4+ years leading design teams.
• Extensive, hands-on experience developing progression systems, game economies, social features, and balancing complex gameplay ecosystems in live-service games.
• Deep understanding of the Diablo series, ARPG mechanics, player psychology, and what motivates player retention and satisfaction.
• Exceptional analytical skills; able to clearly communicate complex systems and balance concepts to both designers and non-designers.
• Proven track record managing and mentoring teams of experienced designers, demonstrating strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in a highly iterative environment.
• Demonstrated passion for games, systems design and staying current with industry trends and competitor strategies.
• Dedication to quality, passion for gameplay, and a deep respect for the player's experience.
• Commitment to a culture of iteration, transparency, mentorship, and constant improvement.

Bonus Points

• Shipped multiple successful AAA ARPG or RPG titles.
• Experience navigating large organizations and maintaining clarity of vision across large-scale development efforts.
• Technical familiarity with data-driven design tools and scripting languages.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world’s largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection—of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Bubble Witch. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well‑being for ‘Every World’ – we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under‑represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [e-mail]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well‑being for ‘Every World’ – we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $126,800.00 - $234,580.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.