> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3062149-systems-game-designer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3062149-systems-game-designer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Systems Game Designer - **Company:** ASTRO STUDIOS LLC - **Location:** United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Computer Animation, C++ (Programming Language), Spreadsheets, Data Structures, Database Schema, Digital Assets, Game Engine, Performance Tuning, Scripting, Data Analytics, Unreal Engine - **Published:** September 25, 2026 - **Apply:** https://remotegamejobs.com/goto/astronomad-studios-senior-systems-game-designer-remote-job ## About the Role * Demonstrated experience designing gameplay systems for roguelike/roguelite, run-based, action, combat, traversal, or similarly mechanics-driven games. * Strong systems-design instincts: you understand how rules, numbers, probabilities, player verbs, feedback loops, and constraints interact to create emergent play. * Experience designing or tuning build variety, upgrade synergies, reward structures, difficulty curves, progression systems, economies, or combat/ability systems. * Ability to break down complex gameplay ideas into simple, testable components, then tune them through iteration, data, player feel, and team feedback. * Comfort working with formulas, spreadsheets, tuning tables, probability, scaling math, or lightweight simulations to support design decisions. * Hands-on experience prototyping or implementing systems in a modern game engine. Unreal Engine experience, including Blueprint and/or C++, is especially relevant, though strong experience in Unity, Godot, proprietary engines, or similar tools is also welcome. * Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to create documentation that engineers, artists, animators, designers, and producers can actually use. * Comfort working in a small team where roles may overlap, priorities change, and ownership matters. * Good taste in systemic design - not just adding mechanics, but knowing what should be removed, simplified, clarified, or tuned. * A practical mindset: you care about what can actually be built, tested, balanced, and improved. Preferred Experience * Shipped-title experience or equivalent production experience taking gameplay systems from prototype through implementation, tuning, polish, and release. * Deep experience with roguelike/roguelite systems, run architecture, buildcraft, procedural variation, reward economies, meta-progression, or long-term replayability. * Strong Unreal Engine experience, especially designing, prototyping, scripting, or tuning gameplay systems in Blueprint, C++, data assets, gameplay tags, or related Unreal workflows. * Experience with data-driven ability systems, enemy interactions, combat rulesets, progression systems, or environmental gameplay. * Background in action-adventure games, traversal-heavy games, combat systems, platforming, or exploration-focused design. * Experience collaborating with engineering on systemic architecture, tools, data schemas, content pipelines, or balancing workflows. * Comfort working remotely with a distributed team. * Interest in stylized, expressive, mythic, fairy-tale-inspired, or strange worlds. ## Description We are looking for a Senior Systems Game Designer to help architect, prototype, tune, and connect the gameplay systems at the heart of our current project, with a particular focus on roguelike/roguelite structure, build variety, progression, and replayability. This is a hands-on senior design role for someone who can think deeply about mechanics, model and tune complex systems, communicate clearly with a small team, and turn abstract gameplay goals into practical, testable, shippable systems. What You'll Do * Architect, model, and balance interconnected gameplay systems, including combat rules, traversal, abilities, upgrades, encounters, resources, progression, reward economies, and run structure. * Design systems that support roguelike/roguelite replayability, including buildcraft, synergies, risk/reward choices, intra-run progression, meta-progression, procedural variation, and difficulty escalation. * Translate creative direction into clear systemic rules, player verbs, constraints, feedback loops, tuning targets, data structures, and implementation-ready specs. * Work closely with leadership, engineering, level design, animation, art, and production to make sure systems are fun, readable, extensible, and buildable. * Create precise, practical design documentation, tuning tables, state-machine breakdowns, economy models, and balance notes that help the team make decisions and implement features. * Prototype, test, tune, and refine mechanics based on feel, readability, pacing, replayability, systemic depth, and production realities. * Partner with engineers and technical designers to implement and iterate systems in-engine, with Unreal Engine experience especially valuable. * Identify design risks early and help propose focused, achievable solutions that preserve depth without creating unnecessary complexity. * Support the creation of a game that rewards curiosity, mastery, movement, exploration, experimentation, and player discovery., * Examples of gameplay systems, mechanics, prototypes, tools, tuning models, or shipped work you directly contributed to. * If available, design documentation, economy models, balance sheets, state-machine breakdowns, synergy matrices, or other examples of how you think through systems. * A short note about one roguelike, roguelite, action, or systems-driven game system you admire and why it works. We value proven design instincts, clear communication, practical execution, and the autonomy to help drive complex systems in a small team. We do not need every candidate to match every bullet exactly, but we are especially interested in designers with senior-level systems ownership, roguelike/roguelite fluency, and hands-on engine experience. ## Related Videos - [WeAreDevelopers LIVE - "Fun and games - and all that comes with it", Back to BASIC & more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1719-wearedevelopers-live-fun-and-games-and-all-that-comes-with-it-back-to-basic-more) - [Building a fully automated escape room](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/735-building-a-fully-automated-escape-room) - [JavaScript? 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