Lead Gameplay Designer

Epic Games; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & Dental

Vision & Health Coverage

401k with match

Unlimited PTO

Paid sabbatical

Job summary

Epic Games is seeking a Gameplay Designer to create compelling gameplay across combat, progression, systems, and live LEGO-content collaboration. You will partner with design leadership, art, engineering, and QA to deliver features from concept to ship.

You will own gameplay systems, balance, and player retention in a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary team. The role requires strong collaboration, a player-focused mindset, and the ability to iterate rapidly to deliver high-quality experiences.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience on a live service game.
• Strong scripting and technical capabilities; Unreal Engine experience a plus.
• Ability to break down creative direction into actionable features.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, tune and ship features that support engagement and creativity.
• Create clear design docs and oversee implementation with multidisciplinary teams.
• Hands-on scripting, data, and content work in the engine.
• Solicit and integrate feedback to deliver fun, fresh experiences.
• Establish design pipelines and cross-discipline communication to hit milestones.

Skills

Live service games

Unreal Engine

Gameplay feel & player motivation

Independent work & initiative

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

DESIGN

What We Do

Put your design skills to work at a cutting-edge company that challenges the norm. From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic.

What You'll Do

Epic Games is looking for a Gameplay Designer to help create compelling gameplay experiences across combat, progression, systems, moment-to-moment mechanics, and live gameplay content for our collaboration with LEGO. In this role, you’ll partner closely with design leadership, art, engineering, animation, UX, audio, production, and QA to deliver high-quality features from concept through ship. You will own and iterate on gameplay systems, mechanics, and content while balancing player experience, readability, accessibility, engagement, and long-term retention. The ideal candidate is highly collaborative, deeply player-focused, and comfortable working in a fast-paced cross-disciplinary environment where iteration and feedback are core to development.

In this role, you will

• Work in close collaboration with project leads & directors to design, prototype, tune, and ship features and systems that support the engagement, gameplay, and creative vision of the project
• Document and create clear, actionable design documents, and iterate on these features, working with a team of developers across multiple disciplines, and oversee their successful implementation from start to finish
• Get hands‑on creating the scripting, data, and content required by those features, diving into the engine, and leveraging other tools
• Be responsible for soliciting and rapidly integrating feedback from across the team on your own initiative, ensuring we’re continually delivering a fun and fresh experience to our players
• Help establish and maintain design pipelines, best practices, and cross-discipline communication standards to scope, prioritize deliverables, and hit milestone goals

What we're looking for

• 5+ years of experience on a live service game, shipping a variety of different features and content types to react to changing player patterns
• Strong scripting and technical capabilities. Bonus points if you have experience with Unreal Engine and the Ability System
• Demonstrated talent and a deep understanding of gameplay feel, player motivations or intent, gameplay mechanics, systemic content, and the core LEGO player fantasy
• Ability to break down high-level creative direction into actionable gameplay features and production‑ready tasks
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and react quickly to changing project needs, drive decisions, and then own the outcome and vision
• Commitment to quality, rapid iteration, and delivering exceptional player experiences

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

• Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life.
• We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents.
• Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match.
• We also offer a robust mental well‑being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents.
• Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company‑wide paid breaks.
• We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.

ABOUT US

Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award‑winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high‑fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world‑class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.