London / Hybrid / Remote

Freelance / project-based

Company description

Ember Crows is an independent game studio based in London.

We founded the studio to create original, story-driven games with distinctive worlds, strong artistic direction and stories worth playing.

We’re a small and ambitious team. We care deeply about what we’re creating, but we also want Ember Crows to be a place where talented people can communicate openly, challenge ideas and enjoy working together.

Game description

We’re working on ‘Names Go Dark’, a dark, narrative-driven third-person action RPG for PC and consoles, built in Unreal Engine 5.

The game is set on Proxima b, a tidally locked planet divided between eternal light and endless darkness, combining science-fiction technology with Slavic mythology and a grounded, atmospheric world.

Great RPGs need great stories, but they also need systems that make the player feel part of that world.

We’re looking for a Game Designer — Systems & Gameplay to work directly with the Game Director and help turn the existing creative vision of ‘Names Go Dark’ into a coherent, playable and production-ready game design.

A major part of the role will be developing and systematising our Game Design Document, identifying what still needs to be solved and then working with the development team to turn those systems into gameplay.

Responsibilities

• Working closely with the Game Director to develop and formalise the gameplay vision.

• Consolidating existing concepts, mechanics and design material into a clear Game Design Document.

• Maintaining and developing the GDD as the project evolves.

• Identifying gaps, contradictions and systems that still need to be defined.

• Designing and documenting the core gameplay loop.

• Designing player mechanics, combat, abilities, resources, progression and interactions.

• Defining how different gameplay systems interact with one another.

• Creating clear system specifications, diagrams, flows, variables and implementation requirements.

• Designing enemies, encounters and player-enemy interactions.

• Working closely with the Unreal Engine Gameplay Developer during implementation.

• Prototyping gameplay systems where appropriate.

• Reviewing implemented mechanics against the intended design.

• Organising and analysing playtests.

• Iterating systems based on feedback and actual player behaviour.

• Keeping gameplay, narrative, worldbuilding and progression working together as one experience.

• Helping the team prioritise features and keep scope realistic.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of professional or equivalent experience in Game Design, Gameplay Design, Systems Design or a similar role.

• Strong understanding of interconnected gameplay systems.

• Experience creating practical GDDs and system documentation used by a development team.

• Experience designing gameplay that has actually been implemented and playtested.

• Strong understanding of gameplay loops, progression, balancing, player feedback and risk/reward.

• Good understanding of third-person action gameplay.

• Strong understanding of narrative-driven RPGs and the relationship between gameplay, progression, narrative and worldbuilding.

• Ability to turn abstract ideas into clear rules, variables and implementation requirements.

• Experience working with a modern game engine.

• Ability to communicate effectively with programmers and other disciplines.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Very good written and spoken English.

• Portfolio, shipped project, design case study or other evidence showing systems you personally designed.

We’re looking for someone who wants to design the game, not simply make documents look organised.

If you don’t tick every box but think you understand what makes a great RPG and have the work to prove it, we’d still like to hear from you.

Nice to have

• Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprint experience.

• Experience with third-person action RPGs or action-adventure games.

• Combat and ability design.

• Systemic gameplay.

• Enemy and encounter design.

• Progression and resource systems.

• Exploration or level design.

• Experience balancing interconnected systems.

• Experience with realistic, cyberpunk, science-fiction or dark atmospheric games.

• Experience developing original IP.

• Strong interest in Central and Eastern European history, culture, mythology and folklore.

• Familiarity with Slavic mythology and folklore.

• Experience with games drawing from real-world history, mythology or regional cultures.

• At least one commercially released game.

Where from?

The role can be fully remote, hybrid or based in London.

We have access to our Battersea workspace for people who want to collaborate with the team in person.

For remote work, we ask for reasonable overlap with UK working hours so that design and development can move quickly together.

What we offer

• A central role in shaping the gameplay of a new original IP.

• Direct collaboration with the Game Director.

• Real influence over mechanics, systems and the player experience.

• The opportunity to help define the design foundations and GDD of ‘Names Go Dark’.

• Close collaboration with gameplay development, narrative and the wider creative team.

• Flexible remote, hybrid or London-based collaboration.

• A relaxed but professional culture where good ideas matter more than hierarchy.

• Participation in Ember Crows’ project-based profit-sharing programme.

• The opportunity to grow with the project and studio.

This is currently a freelance, project-based engagement using a milestone-based points profit-sharing model. It does not guarantee an upfront salary or freelance fee unless separately agreed for the specific engagement.

We’ll explain the full compensation structure and contractual terms clearly before you join.

What happens after I apply?

• If your CV and portfolio look promising, we’ll invite you to an initial remote conversation.

• We’ll ask you to walk us through a gameplay system you’ve previously designed and explain how it changed through implementation and playtesting.

• Shortlisted candidates will receive a small design test based on a fictional or isolated gameplay problem rather than production work for ‘Names Go Dark’. You’ll have several days to complete it.

• We’re interested in how you think, structure systems and communicate your decisions, not in receiving a 50-page document.

• If we like the test, we’ll arrange a second conversation.

• We may then request professional references.

• If everything works for both sides, we’ll make you an offer to join the project.

Please note that we will only contact shortlisted candidates.