Smilegate are on the lookout for a World Design Director to join their talented team! Their primary goal is to develop a combination of best-in-class combat and exploration spaces to create a living world of possibility that will deeply immerse players.
Working hand in hand with the art and design departments, this is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor and build your own team on a project where the world is a central part.
For this role, you'll need...
A drive and passion for creating meaningful and inspiring areas that players will want to explore
Excellent knowledge of the competition and the methods they use to create open-world play spaces
A respect for combat spaces and the metrics used in their construction to enable dynamic and compelling battle spaces
The ability to operate both at a high world level but also at the low encounter-based level
High-level awareness of environmental storytelling a knowing how to enrich the locations with such
Excellent track record - credited on at least 2 shipped games either as Lead level/World Director, Lead/ Senior-Level/World Designer
Working knowledge of at least one of the major 3D modelling packages and being able to get hands-on to create environments
Strong level design skills - capable of defining level metrics and consistently applying them
Comprehensive understanding of what works and doesn’t in leading open-world games - especially how combat spaces and terrain narrative intersect
Strong communication abilities across multiple teams
Ability to lead by example and delegate as required
As a World Design Director, you will...
Work with the Creative Director to define, own and champion the project's living world pillars and vision
Drive the development and creation of high-quality AAA environments
Be the representative for world design to all other parties
Collaborate with the combat, AI, and narrative leads to design and implement gameplay enabling playspaces
Build up a best-in-class world and level design team by helping to interview and hire level designers
Be the mentor, guide, and leader of your team of handpicked designers
Provide meaningful feedback to the world design team during play sessions
Create and maintain a prospering level design culture within the world design team.
Help drive the development of standard-setting world design tools and workflow
Ensure a productive internal workflow and beneficial relationships with external partners
Working with other teams to develop immersion enhancing features such as weather and night/day systems
Experience with procedural methods of content creation a bonus
Just some of the benefits of working with Smilegate include...
Breakfast in the office
Restaurant tickets
23 vacation days per year + Christmas to the new year
Develop your career working in a super exciting environment with a great working atmosphere
Fully stocked studio kitchen
16 weeks Maternity and Paternity leave, plus full parental flexibility
Flexible working hours & flexible Friday
Remote working options
Private health insurance, including dental coverage
