Game Designer

About the role

We’re a new indie studio developing a 2–4 player co-op horror game in Unreal Engine. Our team has built a solid foundation, including multiplayer systems, an explorable environment, enemy AI, objectives, inventory, progression, and other great mechanics. However, we want to be transparent: the project needs stronger moment-to-moment gameplay, better mechanics, and more meaningful co-op interactions.

Responsibilities

• Design and improve gameplay mechanics, objectives, and encounters
• Create co-op systems that give every player a meaningful role
• Improve gameplay pacing, tension, replayability, and player engagement
• Write clear design documentation the full team can build from
• Keep documentation updated as features change
• Collaborate with programmers, artists, level designers, writers, and audio developers
• Take responsibility for feature scope and feasibility alongside production
• Playtest features, identify problems, and provide actionable solutions

Requirements

Around 1–2 years of game design experience

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Strong understanding of gameplay systems and cooperative design

Experience creating clear game design documentation

Ability to communicate ideas across multiple disciplines

Comfortable receiving feedback and iterating on designs

Reliable communication and consistent participation

A portfolio or examples of previous design work

A basic understanding of Unreal Engine is not required, but it is strongly preferred. Familiarity with Blueprints, Actors, Components, multiplayer replication, or general Unreal workflows is a major plus.

Experience with co-op, multiplayer, horror, or stealth games is also highly valued.

Qualifications

None specified

Skills

Game Design

Co-op Design

Multiplayer Design

Horror Game Design

Stealth Game Design

Benefits

Compensation: This is currently an unpaid revenue-share position with a written agreement. We’re a new studio with a limited budget, so we want to be upfront about the risks and expectations. If the project receives funding or publisher support, we’re open to transitioning roles toward paid or hybrid compensation.

Pay

N/A

Schedule

N/A