Lead Game Designer

Overview

343 Industries is the developer of the blockbuster Halo series of video games and, as part of Xbox Game Studios, oversees the Halo franchise including games, television series, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. We are looking for new Spartans to join our team to build the next generation of games and experiences in our in our award-winning sci-fi universe.

Do you have a deep understanding of modern first or third-person shooter games and experience leading the design of a recent game in the genre? Do you have a track record of collaborating across teams to ensure a cohesive gameplay experience that supports the overall product vision? Do you firmly believe insights from player behavior and other qualitative and quantitative data are fundamental to making smart design decisions? Are you passionate about Halo, eager to preserve what makes it unique-while brimming with ideas to evolve an experience that millions of players love? If so, the Halo team would love to speak with you about becoming our next Lead Game Designer! Roles at our studio are flexible, and you can work from home up to two days a week (Thursdays and Fridays) in this role.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Embody our Culture and Values

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with 343's Studio Design Director and other key stakeholders to define future Halo experiences.
• Lead the creative expansion and refinement of Halo's narrative, map design, player experience, systems design, character, and sandbox gameplay elements with an eye towards delivering deep and immersive games.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with all development disciplines to ensure a best-in-industry production process that avoids silos and reinforces a unified product vision.
• Set clear design goals and deliverables, focusing the design team on achieving a high-quality, cohesive experience for all players, on all platforms.
• Create clear design documentation and review design team documentation for creative alignment, consistency, and completeness.
• Be a partner with cross-disciplinary performance, user research, community, support, competitive insights, and marketing teams to deliver high quality, player focused content and features.
• Be a consistent source of clarity, positive energy and an exemplar of Microsoft and Xbox values.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's Degree in Art, Game Design, or related field AND 6+ years relevant internship/work experience (e.g., game development and design, systems design, content production)
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Game Design, or related field AND 6+ years related work experience (e.g., game development and design, systems design, content production)
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Game Design, or related field AND 4+ years related work experience (e.g., game development and design, systems design, content production)
  • OR equivalent experience.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience working on AAA games in the capacity of Design Director, Design Lead, or equivalent design leadership role, leading a design team through all phases of development.
• Associate's Degree in Art, Game Design, or related field AND 12+ years relevant internship/work experience (e.g., game development and design, systems design, content production)
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Game Design, or related field AND 12+ years related work experience (e.g., game development and design, systems design, content production)
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Game Design, or related field AND 8+ years related work experience (e.g., game development and design, systems design, content production)
  • OR equivalent experience
• Have shipped at least 1 title released to consumers.
• Comprehensive understanding of games-especially the FPS and action genres-gameplay mechanics and systems, competitive and social player psychology, combined with the demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, and rectify game design and gameplay issues.
• Knowledge of standard industry game engines, design toolsets, and production pipelines.

Game Design IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $112,000 - $218,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $145,800 - $238,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

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