Senior Game Designer

Stardock is currently seeking a talented Senior Game Designer to join our team and play an important role in shaping and executing the vision for our upcoming unannounced game title. The ideal candidate has a deep passion for strategy and simulation games and is comfortable with all levels of ownership: from personally designing features to providing high-level feedback and mentorship to other members of the Design team. This is a salaried, full-time position at our Plymouth, Michigan office, with relocation assistance available.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Create and translate high-level product goals into engaging and innovative game mechanics and player stories in collaboration with the Production, Art, Engineering, and Design teams.
• Collaborate closely with other Senior Game Designers and the Creative Director to ensure cohesive and innovative game design across all project elements.
• Brainstorm, develop ideas, create worlds, and contribute to the design of a new AAA strategy/simulation game.
• Author, maintain, and interpret comprehensive Game Design Documents.
• Script complex events, AI behaviors, and intricate game mechanics utilizing in-house tools and editors and Unreal Engine.
• Oversee and maintain gameplay balance, swiftly addressing and resolving gameplay bugs.
• Leverage generative AI tools to enhance productivity and streamline design workflows, ensuring efficient development processes.
• Mentor and guide Associate Designers, fostering their growth and development.
• Advocate for the Design team, ensuring their needs and ideas are effectively communicated.
• Engage with our player base, evaluating and incorporating valuable feedback and suggestions.
• Stay abreast of trends and innovations in PC strategy games, integrating best practices into our designs.

Education and/or Experience Desired:

• Bachelor's Degree in Game Design, Computer Science or relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience with at least one shipped AAA game title.
• Proven experience with at least one shipped strategy or simulation game.
• Passion for PC strategy and simulation games and an understanding of their mechanics.

• Broad familiarity and interest in history, anthropology, science fiction.
• Excellent creative writing and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated ability to champion design ideas and inspire enthusiasm in others.
• Experience managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new, often proprietary technology and tools.
• Sense of ownership and responsibility in project work.
• Experience with LUA or similar scripting languages.
• Experience reading, implementing, and maintaining data with XML or similar.
• Established understanding of existing Stardock franchises preferred (i.e. Sins of a Solar Empire, Galactic Civilizations, etc.).

Bonuses:

• Experience working on a game created in Unreal Engine.
• Experience with/creating Unreal Engine Blueprints.