World Builder

Absurd Ventures; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Vacation and sick time

401(k) match

Job summary

Absurd Ventures is seeking a Level Designer – World Builder to create immersive environments for a large-scale AAA game in Santa Monica, CA. This full-time, on-site role emphasizes collaboration with design and art teams while leveraging Unreal Engine 5 to build and optimize open-world spaces.

The ideal candidate will have over 4 years of experience in level design, a strong artistic sensibility, and a solid understanding of gameplay considerations. A competitive salary range of $110,000 to $130,000 is offered, alongside a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in level design or world building.
• Proven ability to create immersive playable spaces.
• Strong experience in using Unreal Engine world-building tools.

Responsibilities

• Build high-quality environments using Unreal Engine 5.
• Create layouts focusing on gameplay and narrative.
• Collaborate with design and art teams.

Skills

Experience in level design for AAA games

Proficiency in Unreal Engine 4/5

Strong eye for composition

Collaboration across multiple disciplines

Knowledge of optimization practices

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Level Designer – World Builder for our large‑scale open world AAA game in Unreal Engine 5. You will be part of a team who is responsible for bringing this world to life by understanding how to translate design intent, narrative context, and artistic direction into cohesive, immersive playable spaces.

This role sits at the intersection of level design, world‑building and environment art requiring both strong artistic sensibilities and a deep understanding of how open worlds are constructed at scale.

Core Responsibilities

• Build and assemble high‑quality open world environments using Unreal Engine 5, working from greybox through final polish on both landscapes and cityscapes, including extensive terrain/landscape sculpting and modification.
• Create and design layouts that support and focus on gameplay, narrative, and intended art direction needs. Help drive the overall design direction of the world, setting and maintaining a high bar for environmental storytelling, composition, gameplay needs and metrics, and player navigation.
• Collaborate closely with Design, Level Design, Art Direction, and Tech Art to ensure environments support gameplay and storytelling goals.
• Own world‑building across large regions, ensuring consistency in composition, tone, and visual storytelling.
• Contribute to the development and evolution of pipelines, workflows, and world‑building standards.
• Optimize environments for performance while maintaining visual fidelity.
• Provide feedback on asset quality, modular kits, and world‑building tools to improve overall efficiency and cohesion.
• Dress environments using a mix of modular kits, bespoke assets, decals, foliage, and world composition tool.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in level design, world building, or level art for AAA games.
• Strong experience working in Unreal Engine (UE4 or UE5), including world‑building tools and workflows.
• Proven ability at creating layouts and environments, from blockout all the way to polished, shippable quality, with a focus on creating believable immersive gameplay spaces.
• Strong eye for composition, scale, materiality, and environmental storytelling.
• Experience working with modular kits and large‑scale open world pipelines.
• Understanding of gameplay considerations in environment construction (navigation, readability, player flow).
• Solid knowledge of performance constraints and optimization practices in real‑time environments.
• Ability to strongly collaborate across multiple disciplines, while taking ownership of large areas of the world from concepts to shippable quality.
• Ability to implement and design changes based on play testing data from both in‑house and out‑of‑house data.

Plus If…

• Experience with World Partition, Data Layers, or similar large‑world systems in UE5.
• Familiarity with procedural tools (Houdini, PCG workflows, foliage systems, etc.).
• Experience working on open world or systemic games.
• Background in level design or strong design sensibility.

Description

• Full‑time job with benefits.
• Role is on‑site in Santa Monica, CA.
• Base pay range: $110,000 to $130,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.
• Competitive benefits package including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) match for full‑time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.