Experienced Game Designer - Planet Franchise
Cambridge / Hybrid /
Design – Design /
Permanent
/ Hybrid
Frontier is an established, market leading independent developer and publisher of videogames for PC and consoles. We have achieved serial successes across a wide variety of titles including Elite Dangerous, Planet Coaster, Jurassic World Evolution, Planet Zoo and F1 Manager. Founded in 1994, we are based in the world-leading technology cluster and historic city of Cambridge, England. With a growing team of over 800 talented people supporting our existing portfolio and ambitious future roadmap, along with our publishing label Frontier Foundry, we are passionate about creating innovative genre-leading games and authentic worlds for our communities of players.
Purpose of the role:
We are looking for a systems focused Designer to join the Frontier team, working on our Planet franchise to help take it to the next level.
As a Designer working on the Planet Franchise, you will work under the systems design lead, supporting other designers and departments to help build on and take the game to new heights.
Responsibilities
- Feature Ownership – Take systems from concept to implementation:
- Concept – Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of game systems. Create and document ideas and improvements with the systems design team.
- Estimation – Support documents with diagrams, spreadsheets and prototypes to predict outcomes and balance features.
- Implementation – Design and implement content for existing and new game systems using in-house scripting tools and databases.
- Problem Solving – Develop efficient solutions to systemic gameplay problems, working directly with a cross-discipline feature group.
- Feature Support – Playtest, feedback and verify the balancing of game systems to ensure high levels of quality.
About you
- At least 1 year of industry experience outside university.
- Proven capability to deliver features on time to a high quality in a self-starting manner.
- Adaptable and creative, with a solid practical understanding of game mechanics and genres.
- Quick to develop an understanding of how your areas of responsibility fit into the game as a whole.
- Knowledge of management and simulation games.
- Experienced in producing clear and concise documentation.
- A logical and analytical mind-set who enjoys applying mathematics to help solve problems.
- A strong communicator able to work well as part of a team giving and receiving constructive criticism appropriately and remaining positive whilst under pressure.
Desirable
- Passion for management and simulation games.
- Familiarity with any programming or scripting languages/tools (Lua, C++, C#, Python, Unity, Unreal Engine, etc).
- Knowledge or experience with any of the following:
- Spreadsheets and/or Databases, eg. Microsoft Excel, SQL
- Creating and understanding Graphs, Visualisations and Flow Diagrams.
- Ability to use analytic data to inform systems design and game balance.
- Ability to apply artistic and programmatic and audience-based perspectives to work.
- Experience of prototyping for games development.
What we can offer you
We offer the chance to work with talented and passionate people, developing and publishing sophisticated and enduring games in a creative and collaborative environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our player communities. Frontier rewards this passion and determination by sharing in the company’s success and by supporting our teams to keep doing what they love.
Well-being is a big focus at Frontier and we are continually evolving how we can support our staff. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and host a range of well-being activities, initiatives and sessions to support both mental and physical health.
We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success-based annual bonus, share option schemes, pension, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity package, in-house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme and free bike servicing, and social events.
We welcome and encourage applications from qualified candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.
