Lead Open World Designer — Build Immersive, Dynamic Worlds

Absurd Ventures; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation time

Sick time

Company holidays

Parental leave

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) matching

Bonus and equity potential

Job summary

Absurd Ventures in Santa Monica, CA is seeking a Lead Open World Designer to shape the game\'s open world, its systems and content. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team delivering immersive experiences rich with exploration, encounters, and story-driven gameplay.

You\'ll partner with narrative and engineering, balancing population and encounters, while pushing innovation and hands-on contribution on the playable experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in open-world design with leadership experience.
• Ability to blend AI, systems, mechanics and scripted content.
• Strong population and encounter design knowledge.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive design and implementation of immersive open-world content.
• Collaborate with narrative team to develop new content ideas.
• Align open-world content with narrative goals and player experience.
• Leverage core systems to create dynamic, player-responsive experiences.
• Lead across disciplines and iterate with rapid playtesting.

Skills

Open-world design

Lead Designer

AI systems design

World balancing

Leadership

Communication

Job description

Absurd Ventures in Santa Monica, CA is seeking a Lead Open World Designer to shape the game\'s open world, its systems and content. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team delivering immersive experiences rich with exploration, encounters, and story-driven gameplay.

You\'ll partner with narrative and engineering, balancing population and encounters, while pushing innovation and hands-on contribution on the playable experience.