Game Designer (Systems)

Location: Hybrid role based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Salary: CAD $62,800–$92,920 per year at the start of employment, with potential bonus, equity awards, and benefits for eligible regular roles.

Company

Small Axe Studios is hirify.global’s stand-alone studio in Burnaby, founded in 2023 to develop a new sports franchise and player-first game experience.

What you will do

• Design, implement, balance, and tune core gameplay systems, including progression, economies, rewards, player stats, and game modes.
• Translate high-level design goals into clear, scalable systems and own discrete systems or subsystems from concept through implementation.
• Analyze gameplay loops, systemic interactions, metrics, and playtest results to support healthy economies and long-term engagement.
• Collaborate with engineers, artists, designers, producers, and project leads to prototype, scope, implement, and iterate features.
• Document system logic, flows, tuning guidelines, design specifications, and balance sheets.
• Build systems that support player expression, decision-making, meaningful trade-offs, and emergent storytelling.

Requirements

• 3–5 years of game design experience, focused on systems design.
• Experience designing and tuning progression systems, stats, in-game economies, or similar gameplay systems.
• Understanding of balancing principles, player motivations, and systemic interactions.
• Strong analytical thinking, communication, collaboration, and documentation skills.
• Passion for sports games or systemic gameplay.
• Comfort working with spreadsheets and design tools for balance and documentation, plus a proactive and adaptable approach.

Nice to have

• Experience with sports games or simulations.
• Familiarity with live-service design, seasonal models, or balancing for long-term engagement.
• Scripting or configuration experience in Unreal Blueprint, Unity, or proprietary game tools.
• Exposure to telemetry-driven design and KPI-informed iteration.

Culture & Benefits

• Creative collaboration, technical excellence, and player-first design are core working principles.
• Opportunity to contribute to a brand-new sports IP and large-scale game from the ground up.
• Regular roles may include bonus, equity awards, and medical, financial, and other benefits.
• Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities during hiring and employment.