Principal Systems Designer

Game Devs of Color; Culver City (CA); Hybrid; USD 144,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

Scopely is seeking a Principal Systems Designer for an unannounced, mobile-first live-service title. This remote-in-US or hybrid-in-Culver-City role focuses on defining and shipping core systems, progression, economy, and loot, with Unity-based implementation and analytics-driven tuning.

You’ll collaborate across design, engineering, and production to turn ambiguous problems into well-instrumented systems and scalable player experiences.

Qualifications

• Hands-on design and implementation of core systems.
• Experience shaping progression, economy, and loot in live-service games.
• Ability to model tuning and scale with data and analytics.
• Collaborate with design, engineering, and production teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and build core systems from definition to ship.
• Collaborate with gameplay designers to align combat, progression, and scaling.
• Build models, simulations, and tuning tools for loot, XP curves, and stats.
• Implement and iterate in Unity and design tools.
• Create design docs for cross‑discipline teams.
• Define tooling and pipelines to enable efficient systems authoring.
• Use playtest results and analytics to evaluate performance and iterate.
• Assess proposals, identify risks and opportunities for evolution.

Skills

System design

Progression modeling

Analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Unity

Job description

CA, CO, NJ, NY, and WA Annual Salary Range: $144,200 - $215,000 USD

We're looking for a Principal Systems Designer to join us on an exciting unannounced title built on a globally recognized IP. This is an F2P, mobile-first live-service game currently in pre-production, and our team is defining the systems and progression that will support the game over the long term. This role can be remote in the US or hybrid in the Culver City Office.

At Scopely, we care deeply about what we do and want to inspire play, every day, whether in our work environments alongside our talented colleagues, or through our deep connections with our communities of players. We are a global team of game lovers who are developing, publishing, and innovating in the gaming industry, connecting millions of people around the world daily.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role. You'll own the design and implementation of core systems, working with the Director of Systems Design and the broader systems and gameplay teams to turn ambiguous, zero-to-one problems into shippable, well-instrumented systems. You'll work across quantitative modeling and in-engine implementation, building the tuning, tools, and systems needed to bring progression models to life. You'll also partner closely with combat and gameplay design to ensure abilities, progression, and scaling work together as a cohesive player experience.

What You'll Do

• Design and build core systems, including progression, combat scaling, economy, and rewards, from initial definition through shippable implementation
• Partner with gameplay designers to ensure combat abilities, RPG progression, and scaling reinforce one another across the live-service lifecycle
• Build and maintain models, simulations, and tuning tools that define loot tables, costs, XP curves, and stat scaling as the game evolves
• Implement, tune, and iterate on systems directly in Unity and supporting design tools
• Create clear design documentation that enables designers, engineers, and producers to execute effectively
• Collaborate with engineering to define tools and pipelines that enable efficient systems authoring, tuning, and balancing
• Use playtest results and analytics to evaluate system performance, identify opportunities, and iterate based on evidence
• Evaluate system proposals constructively, identifying design risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities for improvement while supporting systems that can evolve with future content

What You'll