Environment Gameplay Designer

Sunblink•Boulder, CO

About The Position

This is a contract position for a mid-to-lead level designer with a ~30 hour/week commitment. The role combines aesthetic and gameplay design, focusing on creating dense, rich, and satisfying open-world interactions while maintaining a strong visual design sensibility. The designer will be responsible for the end-to-end creation of open-world environments, from initial blockout to gameplay-ready spaces, ensuring a balance between visual appeal and moment-to-moment playability. This includes defining layouts, flow, navigation, Points of Interest (POIs), and interactive environmental gameplay elements. Rapid prototyping in-engine using scripting or visual scripting is a key aspect of the role, with an emphasis on playable builds over extensive documentation. Clear communication of design intent and constructive incorporation of feedback are essential.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to design large-scale, non-linear spaces, with a portfolio showing both layout and gameplay work
Strong understanding of player navigation, visual communication, and guiding players without heavy UI or explicit direction
Hands-on experience prototyping in a modern engine (Unreal Engine or Unity), including blockout tools, terrain and landscape tools, and gameplay scripting
Proficiency in visual scripting (e.g., Blueprints) and/or a scripting language (C#, C++, Lua, Python) to build and iterate on interactions
Experience designing POIs, encounters, or activities and integrating them into a cohesive world
Solid grasp of gameplay systems design, including how traversal, combat, AI, and exploration interact within an environment
Ability to balance creative ambition with technical constraints such as memory, streaming, draw distance, and content budgets
Excellent communication skills, with experience collaborating across art, design, and engineering disciplines
Comfort with iterative, feedback-driven development and with taking a prototype from rough concept to polished, playable content

Nice To Haves

Shipped at least one open-world or large-scale exploration title
Experience with procedural or semi-procedural tools (e.g., Houdini, PCG, world-building tools) for environment and content placement
Background in systemic or emergent design, such as ecosystems, dynamic events, or AI-driven world behaviors
Technical art or environment art skills, including blockout-to-art handoff and kit-bashing
Experience with traversal-focused design (climbing, gliding, vehicles, mounts, etc.)
Familiarity with analytics and telemetry tools for evaluating player movement and engagement
Experience with world streaming, World Partition, or level-of-detail strategies in large environments
Contributions to game jams, mods, or personal projects that show initiative and creative range
Experience mentoring designers or leading small cross-discipline strike teams
Passion for exploration-driven games, with a strong point of view on what makes a world feel worth exploring

Responsibilities

Design and prototype open-world environments end to end, from blockout through gameplay-ready spaces, balancing visual spectacle with moment-to-moment playability
Define the layout and flow of large spaces: sightlines, landmarks, traversal routes, choke points, and pacing between areas of high and low intensity
Design and implement pathing systems, including critical paths, secondary routes, shortcuts, and traversal options that support multiple playstyles
Conceive, place, and iterate on Points of Interest (POIs), defining each one's purpose, encounter structure, rewards, and role in the player's broader journey
Build interactive environmental gameplay, such as traversal mechanics, destructibles, hazards, puzzles, and systemic interactions that make spaces feel reactive and alive
Rapidly prototype in-engine using scripting, visual scripting, or code to test and validate ideas early, with a bias toward playable builds over documents
Present design intent and prototypes clearly to leads, stakeholders, and cross-discipline partners, and incorporate critique constructively