Principal Game Designer, Combat & Controls (Unpublished R&D Project)

Location: Not specified

Company

Riot Games creates games and player-facing experiences with a player-first mission.

What you will do

• Maintain the holistic vision and lead execution for combat, controls, targeting, camera, and core gameplay systems.
• Prototype, design, and iterate on difficult gameplay problems in ambiguous, early-stage development environments.
• Partner with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists, producers, and design leaders to create playable and testable experiences.
• Define design frameworks, principles, and quality bars that improve decision-making and gameplay craft.
• Lead cross-disciplinary discussions around tradeoffs, risks, opportunities, and design rationale.
• Mentor designers and contribute learnings to broader gameplay direction and future initiatives.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional game design experience.
• 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 with engineers from concept through gameplay-system implementation.
• Ability to break down complex design problems, develop solutions, and communicate design rationale across disciplines.

Nice to have

• Expertise with twin-stick controls.
• Experience mentoring designers and providing cross-disciplinary feedback.
• Experience leading strategically important gameplay features and establishing team-wide design frameworks.
• Experience adopting AI-native tools and workflows for gameplay development.
• Experience using scripting or engine-level tools to prototype gameplay ideas.

Culture & Benefits

• Player-first culture focused on creating games and experiences that improve the player experience.
• Collaborative teams with room for individual perspectives and cross-disciplinary partnership.
• Open paid time off and flexible work schedules.
• Medical, dental, and life insurance.
• Parental leave for employees, spouses or domestic partners, and children.
• 401(k) with company match.