Duration: Full-Time
Location: Remote; must be able to work in Canada
A Hinterland experience is one that marries strong systems-driven gameplay with player-authored narrative, wrapped in a thoughtful world and populated by compelling characters with strong narratives of their own.
We are looking for an experienced systems designer to join the BLACKFROST team, developing the Unreal Engine 5-powered sequel to the benchmark Survival game, THE LONG DARK. The focus of this project is to create a strongly dynamic gameplay sandbox that encourages exploration and problem-solving within a heavy framework of open-world survival gameplay, with a focus on creating compelling game systems for both solo and co-op play.
The project is in the pre-launch stage working towards Early Access, and you will join a multi-disciplinary team working under the direct leadership of the studio Creative Director. Your direct manager will be the Design Director.
The gameplay approach is iterative based on evolving the successful formula from THE LONG DARK, while also innovating in key new areas that will help establish the gameplay foundation for 10+ years of ongoing development. We are looking for a system designer who thrives within a clear exploratory framework, while working towards shared goals and a high-level vision articulated by the director. You will be hands-on in-engine, implementing systems in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary gameplay team comprised of programmers, artists, animators, UI/UX designers, and more. It is likely that you will own multiple game systems and become the design team point of contact for these systems.
An example of gameplay systems you might work in include: skills and progression, wildlife AI, resource distribution and balancing, inventory and gear items, 3Cs (Camera, Controls, Character), first-person interactions, and a host of other survival systems you would be familiar with from playing THE LONG DARK or other survival games.
The ideal candidate has a wealth of experience designing gameplay systems for survival, sandbox, immersive sim, open-world, or role-playing games, with a particular expertise around building heavily systems-focused mechanics in sandbox contexts. We are particularly interested in candidates who have worked on ongoing Early Access and “open development” projects, but an understanding of how to achieve quality and a proven ability to innovate are more important than the scope of projects you have been involved with. Obviously, experience in the Survival genre would be a significant advantage.
We are open to designers from either triple-A or more “indie” studio contexts, but tend to favour the autonomy and scrappiness that comes from the more autonomous-minded and generalist designers who succeed in the independent space. That said, we are looking for personal and professional qualities that transcend specific work contexts or project scales. We care more about what you can do than about where you have worked before.
Your ability to think deeply and broadly, be hands-on in-engine while respecting team workflows, ask good questions within a dynamic information environment, commit to your work and contribute both autonomously and collaboratively, work to a specific direction and take feedback well, and a dedication to constant communication and iteration are all critical for this role.
Salary: $90,000-105,000 CAD
ABOUT HINTERLAND
In an industry not known for taking care of its people, Hinterland strives to be different. We believe that the diversity, points of view, experience, and individual backgrounds of our team members contribute to a rich mosaic that helps us create better experiences, and helps those experiences reach a wider audience.
Hinterland is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply for our positions, regardless of ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation or identity, or religious affiliation. We value seniority and experience for our senior and leadership roles, but are always looking for ways to bring diverse viewpoints and experiences from across the spectrum of entertainment and technology.
We embrace a flexible working environment that focuses on high-autonomy balanced against high personal accountability. All our positions are remote-first, focused on finding the best fit for culture and talent. This remote-first flexibility is balanced with a physical studio in Vancouver, which is optionally available (COVID-permitting) to anyone on the team who wants to use it. We strengthen our team bond through offsite retreats, where we focus on creating memories together. We feel this balance of remote and in-person opportunities creates the strongest alloy for our culture.
We encourage everyone on the team to find balance between work and life, and never ask anyone to compromise one for the other. We are a No Crunch studio. We have high expectations of the level of commitment and the quality of the work done by our team, and trust everyone to manage their own schedule and workload. We offer a generous bundle of benefits and vacation time, and strongly encourage our team members to enjoy the 5+ weeks of paid time off we offer annually. We are a family-first studio and offer a range of tools to support our team and their growing families.