Senior Game Designer d3t - 12 Month Contract in Daresbury

d3t is at the forefront of videogame technology and creativity, delivering experienced co-development services to some of the biggest AAA clients in the world. Our studio, part of the global Keywords Studios Group, works on multiple exciting projects at any one time, offering plenty of variety and involvement.

Our studio projects have included EA SPORTS FC™ 26, Hogwarts Legacy, Exoborne, Mafia: The Old Country, Alan Wake Remastered, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Vampire The Masquerade - Blood Hunt, Mafia II: Definitive Edition, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. We also work in partnership with our global clients including: Playground Games, EA and Archetype Entertainment.

The d3t studios are based near Daresbury (Cheshire), Newcastle (Tyne & Wear) and Madrid where we offer an amazingly professional and supportive working environment. We are passionate about what we do and pride ourselves on our anti-crunch mentality, mentoring ethos and have been awarded ‘Best Places to Work’ multiple times by gamesindustry.biz. In addition, we won ‘Best Creative Service Provider’ at Develop 2022 and were nominated in 2023 & 2024.

The Design Team is expanding and this exciting opportunity for a Senior Game Designer will be a 12 month fixed-term contract (initially), based in either of our UK studio sites (Daresbury or Newcastle), on a hybrid working basis. The working pattern is 3 days per week in the studio: Wednesday, Thursday and another day of your choice.

The Design team at d3t is an agile and close-knit group of cross-discipline designers, geared fully for Co-Development: we work across a broad array of exciting projects and own core design on the full spectrum of game types and genres, from the first sketches to the final shipped design. Our expertise covers everything from broad feature design, fast-moving creative ownership, and specialist design expertise in areas like technical design, level design, combat, systems, narrative, and much more.

The Role - Senior Game Designer:

What are we looking for?

• Become a key part of the Game Design team here, contributing and owning game features, components, and broad-spectrum design for AAA Co-Dev videogame projects across a wide range of genres.
• Exhibit excellent Design know-how across the whole development process, from the first Post-It note to the final shipping design.
• Be agile and flexible, able to adapt quickly to new design problems, and build within a broad spectrum of areas and genres as a busy Co-Development team requires.
• Become a key part of ideation, prototyping, refining and finishing design features alongside internal teams and external client resources.
• Work to design, iterate, test and ship your work across PC and Console, maintaining a high degree of quality throughout.
• Exercise good design practices and procedures, holding yourself and the team to high production and quality standards.
• Be the owner and champion of design work with both internal and external stakeholders, presenting and discussing work with confidence and trust.
• Collaborate with production and Design leadership to provide accurate task estimations and assist with schedule balancing.
• As a Co-Developer, good time management and prioritisation is a must.
• Above all: work within a diverse and close-knit team in a respectful, constructive manner at all times, acting as a model of respect and professionalism for others.

Requirements

Essential skills:

• 5+ years experience, with proven released projects in a senior design or equivalent position.
• Strong hands-on experience in a major modern engine (e.g. UE5 blueprints).
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of broad design work and feature ownership, ideally across multiple genres.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including some presentation skill.
• Ability to organize and structure your own work and that of the team.
• Ability to adapt to changing situations with a flexible and professional attitude.
• Hungry to learn and expand your areas of expertise.
• A calm, positive and professional attitude alongside excellent time-management and organisational skills.
• Team player, with the ability to work as part of a diverse, fast-moving team.
• Passion, energy, and infectious enthusiasm for videogames and development.
• Great attitude: we value cultural fit, creativity, and positivity here.

Desirable skills:

• Ability to work in other engines outside of Unreal: Unity, Decima, Frostbite, or proprietary engines for example.
• Experience working with industry-standard tracking and documentation tools like Jira and Confluence, or equivalents.
• Some experience in client-facing roles, including pitching experience.

At d3t we work flexibly, but value in-person collaboration: this position is offered on a hybrid basis only at either of our UK sites (3 days per week in the studio: Wednesday, Thursday and another day of your choice). We value work/life balance and have a discretionary flexible hours system and operate a no-crunch policy as a studio.

Benefits

d3t Studio Benefits & Perks:

• 22 days holiday + 3 Festive Studio Closure + Bank Holidays.
• Company Pension Scheme (enhanced contribution).
• Flexible Working Hours.
• Private Medical Insurance Scheme - BUPA.
• Anti-crunch ethos - a professional, fun and supportive working environment!
• Free Parking.
• Company Socials, Monthly Lunches + Annual d3t Events.
• Breakout Areas - filled with perks such as games, BBQ area, complimentary snacks to suit all dietary preferences etc.

Interviews will be held by video call. Don't meet every single requirement? Not a problem - please apply. At d3t we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace and culture. If this opportunity excites you but your current skills or past experience don't align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to still apply. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles within our team.