Senior Game Designer

Fanatics Collectibles • Seattle, WA

5d • $130,000 - $160,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Fanatics TCG is a Seattle-based trading card game studio within the Fanatics Collectibles family, founded by industry veterans to build enduring franchises across tabletop, digital, community, and culture. The Senior Game Designer will help define the game and shape how the design team organizes and executes its work. This hands-on senior role owns major systems and releases while establishing frameworks, documentation, review practices, and decision-making processes that keep the team aligned. The designer solves difficult design problems, guides other designers, and protects the long-term health and consistency of the game.

All Fanatics TCG employees are expected to work onsite in the Seattle office five days per week. The Seattle base salary range is $130,000–$160,000 USD. Base pay does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation; final compensation considers factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of professional game design experience, including substantial work on trading card games, collectible card games, strategy games, or other systems-driven titles.
• A record of owning complex game systems or major releases and carrying them from early design through production.
• Experience creating or improving design processes, documentation, and team practices that support high-quality work at scale.
• Strong understanding of systems design, rules architecture, balance, game economies, metagame health, and long-term content development.
• Ability to lead through influence, give clear feedback, and guide other designers while remaining hands-on in design work.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, sound design judgment, and comfort working across disciplines in a fast-moving studio environment.
• Ability to work onsite in the Seattle office five days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead set-level and mechanic design for major releases, including prototyping, playtesting, iteration, balance, and final design handoff.
• Own the design and evolution of systems, rules, formats, and other major features from concept through implementation.
• Establish design frameworks, documentation standards, review practices, and workflows that help the team make consistent decisions and execute across multiple releases.
• Review design work, provide actionable feedback, and mentor other designers while remaining deeply involved in hands-on design.
• Partner with product, creative, development, and playtesting teams to resolve tradeoffs and maintain alignment from early concept through launch.
• Identify systemic design risks, player-experience concerns, and long-term balance issues, then drive solutions informed by testing and player behavior.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed