Senior Roguelike Systems Architect

AstroNomad Studios; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AstroNomad Studios in the United States is seeking a Senior Systems Game Designer to architect, prototype, tune, and connect the gameplay systems at the heart of our current roguelike project, with emphasis on build variety, progression, and replayability.

You will balance interconnected systems—combat rules, traversal, upgrades, encounters, economies, and run structure—and translate creative direction into clear, implementation-ready specs, data structures, and tuning targets.

Qualifications

• Experience designing gameplay systems for roguelike/roguelite, run-based or similar games.
• Ability to break down complex ideas into testable components and iterate.
• Comfort with formulas, tuning tables, probability, and data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Architect, model, and balance interconnected gameplay systems including combat, traversal, upgrades, encounters, resources, progression, and run structure.
• Design roguelike/roguelite systems for replayability with build variety, synergies, risk/reward, and meta-progression.
• Translate direction into systemic rules, verbs, constraints, data structures, and implementation-ready specs.
• Collaborate with leadership, engineering, art, animation, and production to keep systems fun, readable, extensible, and buildable.
• Create precise design documentation, tuning tables, state-machine breakdowns, economy models, and balance notes.
• Prototype, test, tune, and refine mechanics based on feel, pacing, and production realities.
• Partner with engineers to implement and iterate systems in-engine; Unreal Engine experience is valuable.
• Identify design risks early and propose focused, manageable solutions that preserve depth.
• Support a game that rewards curiosity, mastery, movement, exploration, experimentation, and discovery.

Skills

Systems design

Roguelike design

Balancing

Prototyping

Communication

Unreal Engine

Blueprint/C++

Data-driven design

Collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Blueprint

C++

Job description

AstroNomad Studios in the United States is seeking a Senior Systems Game Designer to architect, prototype, tune, and connect the gameplay systems at the heart of our current roguelike project, with emphasis on build variety, progression, and replayability.

You will balance interconnected systems—combat rules, traversal, upgrades, encounters, economies, and run structure—and translate creative direction into clear, implementation-ready specs, data structures, and tuning targets.