Senior Game Designer

Established in 1999, Arkane Lyon is one of the most renowned game development studios and has earned a matchless reputation for creating games with unique style and immersive action. The studio's titles, which include the Dishonored franchise and DEATHLOOP, have received numerous prestigious accolades around the globe, including hundreds of "Game of the Year" awards.

Arkane Lyon is developing the upcoming title Marvel's Blade, a third person, single player, action-adventure set in the heart of Paris. The game is based on the comic book hero Blade and will feature an original story with the studio's signature immersive gameplay and world-class narrative.

Joining Arkane Lyon is an opportunity to collaborate and evolve within a passionate team, on cutting-edge technologies and innovative games enjoyed by millions of players. You will work in a stimulating and welcoming environment in our offices located in the Lyon (France) Confluence district, a place of greenery, sports, gastronomy and music.

Arkane Lyon is owned by ZeniMax Media and Microsoft.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Creative Director to design and lead the development of key game systems that support the project's vision and goals
• Collaborate with other system designers to ensure consistency and harmony across all gameplay mechanics
• Coordinate with a multidisciplinary team (gameplay programmers, animators, UI artists, audio engineers, etc.) to implement and refine the systems under your ownership and bring it to excellence
• Create clear and comprehensive design documentation to effectively communicate ideas and intentions to the team
• Ensure deadlines and project goals are met by following Arkane's agile/Scrum production methodologies
• Proactively identify gameplay and balance issues and propose relevant and innovative solutions.
• Work closely with the QA team throughout the entire development process — from early internal playtests to functional and certification testing — to ensure high-quality game systems.

Required Skills:

• Strong understanding of game mechanics, from conceptualization to implementation, with a focus on balance and player experience
• Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively, both in writing and visually (via design docs, flowcharts, prototypes, etc.)
• Experience designing for AAA narrative-driven, immersive, or systemic games
• Passion for Arkane-style games or projects with a strong creative identity
• Excellent collaboration skills, with the ability to work efficiently across multidisciplinary teams (engineering, art, animation, audio, QA, etc.)
• Proficiency with prototyping tools and game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity, or proprietary tools)
• Familiarity with agile production methods (Scrum, Kanban…) and project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence)
• Sharp critical thinking skills, with the ability to evaluate gameplay loops and suggest impactful improvements
• Solid understanding of UX/UI design principles, especially in interactive and gameplay contexts
• Ability to iterate quickly and efficiently based on QA feedback, playtests, or creative direction

Nice to have:

• Skills in scripting or gameplay logic (Blueprints, Lua, visual scripting, etc.)
• Experience in another field of design (Level Design, Narrative Design, etc.)
• Vast culture of video games from classics, indies, and AAA
• Broad range of creative, artistic or technical interests outside of video games

We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do – from recruiting for our studios, publishing and operations to fostering safe and respectful workplaces that encourage collaboration. Our culture is based on principles of respect, inclusion, and fair treatment and we welcome anyone into our family without regard to race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age.

Our diversity fuels our innovation and inspires us to create game worlds that bring us closer to the global community of players we serve.