Principal Game Designer, Combat & Controls - Unpublished R&D Project

Riot Games; California; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Parental leave

401k with company match

Flexible work schedules

Paid time off

Job summary

Riot Games is seeking a Principal Game Designer for an unpublished R&D product in California. You will lead hands-on design across combat, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel, shaping ambitious player experiences and setting the quality bar for core systems.

You will prototype and iterate in a small cross‑disciplinary team, partner with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists and design leaders, and mentor other designers to raise craft and deliver responsive, resonant

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in game design.
• Deep experience designing, prototyping, and iterating on core gameplay systems.
• Strong expertise in combat design, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel.
• Experience owning large, complex design spaces and delivering high‑impact player‑facing outcomes.
• Experience working in ambiguous or exploratory development environments where fast learning and iteration matter.
• Experience partnering closely with engineers to develop and refine gameplay systems from concept through implementation.
• Ability to break down complex design problems, generate strong solutions, and clearly communicate design rationale across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a holistic vision for combat and controls while driving design vision and execution for core gameplay systems.
• Personally prototype, design, and iterate on difficult gameplay problems in ambiguous, early‑stage development spaces, creating multiple design approaches and articulating the tradeoffs, risks, and player implications of each.
• Partner closely with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists, and producers to turn design goals into playable, testable experiences.
• Define and evolve design frameworks, principles, and quality bars that improve team decision‑making and raise the standard of gameplay craft.
• Lead cross‑disciplinary conversations around tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities, aligning teams around strong design rationale.
• Mentor other designers through feedback, craft guidance, and principled problem solving.
• Contribute to broader gameplay direction by identifying learnings and opportunities that can inform future initiatives.

Skills

Combat design

Controls design

Prototyping

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Mentoring

Design leadership

Twin-stick controls

Job description

As a Principal Game Designer on an unpublished R&D product, you will help shape and evolve the future of gameplay through hands‑on design leadership in early‑stage development. You are a gameplay generalist with deep expertise in combat and controls, and you know how to translate strong player empathy into responsive, satisfying, and strategically rich gameplay experiences.

You will personally drive some of the team's hardest design problems across combat, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel. You will work closely with product managers, engineers, UX, artists, and design leaders to prototype, validate, and refine new gameplay directions, while helping establish the quality bar for how we build, evaluate, and iterate on player‑facing systems.

You will work as part of a small cross‑disciplinary prototype team. In this role, your work will help inform the long‑term gameplay direction through experimentation, rapid iteration, and applied learning.

If you thrive in ambiguous spaces, love solving difficult gameplay problems, and care deeply about creating intuitive, resonant experiences for players, this role is for you.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a holistic vision for combat and controls while driving design vision and execution for core gameplay systems
• Personally prototype, design, and iterate on difficult gameplay problems in ambiguous, early‑stage development spaces, creating multiple design approaches and articulating the tradeoffs, risks, and player implications of each
• Partner closely with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists, and producers to turn design goals into playable, testable experiences
• Define and evolve design frameworks, principles, and quality bars that improve team decision‑making and raise the standard of gameplay craft
• Lead cross‑disciplinary conversations around tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities, aligning teams around strong design rationale
• Mentor other designers through feedback, craft guidance, and principled problem solving
• Contribute to broader gameplay direction by identifying learnings and opportunities that can inform future initiatives

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of professional experience in game design
• Deep experience designing, prototyping, and iterating on core gameplay systems
• Strong expertise in combat design, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel
• Experience owning large, complex design spaces and delivering high‑impact player‑facing outcomes
• Experience working in ambiguous or exploratory development environments where fast learning and iteration matter
• Experience partnering closely with engineers to develop and refine gameplay systems from concept through implementation
• Ability to break down complex design problems, generate strong solutions, and clearly communicate design rationale across disciplines

Desired Qualifications:

• Expertise with designing for twin‑stick controls
• Experience mentoring designers and giving clear cross‑disciplinary feedback that raises the craft bar for a team
• Experience leading strategically important gameplay features and establishing frameworks or principles that improve team‑wide quality and consistency
• Experience helping teams evolve established gameplay systems and development practices through thoughtful adoption of AI‑native tools and workflows
• Experience using scripting or engine‑level tools to prototype gameplay ideas directly

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player‑facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.