Principal Game Designer, Meta Systems and Progression - League of Legends

Riot Games•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

As a Principal Game Designer on League of Legends, you will design, tweak, and optimize the player experience as we set up League of Legends for its next 10 years. Your analytical skills, player insight, and creativity aid in crafting in- and out-of-game experiences that engage and surprise players. You will collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and work with every tool at hand to innovate and iterate player-focused designs that'll delight millions around the world. As a Principal Game Designer specializing in meta-systems and progression, you’ll help shape how players engage with systems around the core gameplay loop and how they progress through the new player journey, seasonal content, and their overall player life cycle. You’ll partner with other designers, artists, and engineers to develop systems that provide meaningful progression, deep strategic choices, and rewarding long-term engagement. You’ll have significant League of Legends affinity and experience, understanding the challenges our players encounter and the motivations that drive them. You are comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment and able to design and iterate on new solutions to old problems. You will report to the Design Director for League of Legends.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in professional Game Design
Deep experience in developing a wide variety of meta-systems
Ability to analyze complex data sets and translate findings into innovative design solutions that resonate with players.
Experience working in a “games as a service” environment.
High familiarity with League of Legends game experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with what approaches to design best meet MOBA players’ needs.
Experience as a senior thought leader of materially-impactful world-class innovations on a commercial video game
An intuitive sense of player motivations, behaviors, and feedback loops in competitive multiplayer environments

Responsibilities

Define and evolve meta systems (e.g., progression, rewards, battle pass, quests, out-of-game content) to amplify player engagement and support overall product goals.
Work closely with product managers, engineers, artists, and other designers to ensure systems are cohesive, consistent, and in line with League of Legends’ overall vision.
Keep the focus on player value by leveraging feedback, user research, and game data to iterate on designs and ensure high-quality experiences.
Provide direction, mentorship, and feedback to other game designers, fostering an environment of collaboration and craft excellence.
Research and champion new trends, tools, and technologies that can elevate League of Legends meta systems and keep them fresh, fun, and competitive.
Maintain a player-first mindset in every decision. Embody Riot’s core values of player experience, collaboration, and continuous improvement.