Principal Game Designer

Principal Game Designer

Full-Time 60000 - 75000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
Gram Games

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the creative vision for a new game, driving design and player engagement.
  • Company: Join Gram Games, part of Zynga & Take-Two Interactive, known for hit titles.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, private medical care, company bonuses, and relocation assistance.
  • Other info: Enjoy an awesome workplace with great food, tech, and a commitment to diversity.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of gaming with autonomy and a collaborative team environment.
  • Qualifications: Proven experience in game design and leading diverse teams.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.

Gram Games is the studio behind popular titles like 1010!, Six!, Merge Dragons!, and Merge Magic!, with more exciting projects in the pipeline.

We are proudly part of the Zynga & Take-Two Interactive family.

We do things differently here: we work in small self-managing teams, giving you an incredible amount of ownership, autonomy, and impact.

At Gram, everyone is expected to have a razor-sharp focus on creating a tangible impact on their team, their work environment, and on the overall company strategy.

If you are motivated by autonomy, constant improvement, collaboration, and a sense of belonging, this is the place for you.

Position Overview

As the Lead Game Designer for a brand-new game team, you will initially champion the "0-to-1" development of an exciting new Merge 2 title.

You will own the game’s creative vision, architecting its core loop, progression systems, and meta-game from scratch.

As the project matures, you will transition the team into soft launch and live operations, overseeing the day-to-day economy balance, event pipelines, and monetization features designed to drive long-term player retention.

What You’ll do

  • Own and drive the game’s vision, aligning it with product goals and communicating it clearly to the team and stakeholders to build shared commitment.
  • Lead ideation and brainstorming, and translate player motivations and behavior into user experience stories, wireframes, and optimal feature design.
  • Mentor and grow a team of designers, fostering a collaborative, creative environment with clear goals and strong execution standards.
  • Partner with product, engineering, and art to guide features from concept through implementation, reviewing and approving final designs.
  • Improve design tools and processes to streamline the pipeline and boost team efficiency and productivity.
  • Use live feedback and analytics to refine systems, maintain a balanced game economy, and champion design best practices across the studio.

What are we looking for?

  • Effective communicator with outstanding verbal, written, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
  • Highly proficient with mathematical concepts and formula creation in a game environment
  • Proven history of designing systems that influence player behaviors and achieve key product performance indicators.
  • Expert in crafting features, systems, core game loops, economies, and meta-designs to foster and enhance positive player behaviors.
  • Excels in a live service game environment, adept at making adjustments based on feedback from an active community.
  • Solid experience in the gaming industry in a design role, contributing meaningfully to multiple released titles
  • Extensive experience leading a diverse and skilled design team
  • Proven track record of successfully shipping games

What we offer you

  • Highly competitive salary
  • Private medical care
  • Company bonus scheme
  • Relocation assistance for those moving to the UK
  • Awesome onsite chef serving breakfast, lunch, and lots of treats (naughty and nice)
  • Life insurance and a favorable pension scheme
  • Healthcare cash plan including dental and optical coverage
  • Amazing tech to work with and consoles to play and relax with everywhere you look!

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization.

Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process.

Please contact us at jobs@gram. gs to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.

Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram, Whats App, or others.

Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel.

Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage.

Zynga’s in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i. e., via a zynga. com, take2games. com, naturalmotion. com, smallgiantgames. com, themavens. com, gram. gs email domain).

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Principal Game Designer employer: Gram Games

At Gram Games, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and innovative work culture that empowers our employees to thrive. As a Senior Game Architect, you will not only lead the architectural vision of exciting projects like Merge Dragons but also benefit from a competitive salary, private medical care, and ample opportunities for professional growth in the vibrant UK tech scene. Join us to be part of a collaborative team that values creativity and technical excellence.

Gram Games

Contact Details:

Gram Games Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Game Designer

Join Local Tech Meetups

Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Gram Games or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!

Contribute to Open Source Projects

Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Gram Games.

Tap into Online Developer Communities

Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Gram Games.

Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles

Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Gram Games that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!

We think you need these skills to ace Principal Game Designer

Game Design
Creative Vision
Core Loop Architecture
Progression Systems Design
Meta-Game Development
Economy Balancing
Event Pipeline Management

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Gram Games.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Gram Games and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Gram Games

Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Gram Games uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.