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Lead Game Designer
2 years ago
Job Description
Ubisoft Toronto Inc.
224 Wallace Avenue. M6H 1V7
Toronto, Ontario
www.toronto.ubisoft.com
Location of position: Toronto, Ontario
Our Mission
Ubisoft’s 19,000 team members, working across more than 40 locations around the world, are bound by a common mission to enrich players’ lives with original and memorable gaming experiences. Their dedication and talent have brought to life many acclaimed franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Just Dance, Rainbow Six, and many more to come. Ubisoft is an equal opportunity employer that believes diverse backgrounds and perspectives are key to creating worlds where players and teams can thrive and express themselves. If you are excited about solving game-changing challenges, cutting-edge technologies, and pushing the boundaries of entertainment, we invite you to join our journey and help us create the unknown.
Our Studio
Ubisoft Toronto was founded in 2010 and has contributed to many award-winning Ubisoft brands including Assassin’s Creed®, Far Cry®, For Honor™ and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell®. In 2018, the team at Ubisoft Toronto developed its first new IP, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, and a new technology that seamlessly blends physical and digital gameplay. In 2020, Ubisoft Toronto led the development of the newest game in the Watch Dogs franchise – Watch Dogs: Legion. Ubisoft Toronto received praise for the tech and design work, for creating the first game in which you can play as anyone in an open world, and for its rich and detailed rendition of a future London. Now, in 2021, Ubisoft Toronto is on the verge of shipping Far Cry 6, the most ambitious Far Cry game to date, featuring the talented Giancarlo Esposito. We’re also kicking off new projects and we can’t wait to share more details once we’re ready.
Are you looking to work with enthusiastic experts who are tackling industry-changing challenges in entertainment and beyond? At Ubisoft, we offer an open environment where teams embrace innovative ideas and share knowledge with a genuine collaborative spirit.
On being a Lead Game Designer at Ubisoft Toronto
As a Lead Game Designer at UbiTO, you will be a designer-manager hybrid with an influence on game design and a group of designers. You’ll help shape the systems and mechanics that make up the foundation of a game and then set a clear plan of action to see them through.
You oversee your team throughout production, manage their creative workload, schedule tasks, and set realistic deadlines. As an empathetic mentor, you recognize and develop the strengths of your designers and create an environment of trust for each one to succeed. Thanks to your understanding of the methods and tools to create, solve, and navigate design, you can step in when need be to help your team bring all features from concept to completion.
Type of Position: Permanent, full-time.
The daily life of a Lead Game Designer at Ubisoft Toronto
- Work closely with the creative and game directors (in TOR and MTL) to develop the game design vision for TOR-specific features;
- Put together a project scope plan (timelines, amount of systems and mechanics, etc.);
- Meet with your game design team to prioritize work, assign tasks, discuss progress, tackle setbacks, find solutions, share experience, provide feedback and coaching, mentor junior game designers, etc;
- Oversee your team develop their features (e.g. progression, artificial intelligence behaviours, gameplay, 3Cs, multiplayer matchmaking, clan systems, etc.) and documentation (creative briefs, feature sign-offs, etc.);
- Collaborate with designers, programmers, artists, animators, and other production teams to ensure constant communication & consistency across the board;
- Adapt to technical and production constraints & participate in finding solutions to fix buggy features;
- Carry out the annual evaluations of your game designers.
- Keep up to date on best practices to develop your skills and refresh your knowledge;
- Participate in recruitment to build and grow your game design team.
What it takes to make it
- A college diploma in Game Design, Project Management, or equivalent (undergraduate degree an asset);
- At least 5 years of experience in game design or related experience (live/online game development a huge plus);
- In-depth experience with game engines (e.g. Unity or Unreal), productivity software (word processors, spreadsheets, etc.) & familiarity with project management software (e.g. Jira);
- A highly innovative and collaborative spirit;
- Exceptional problem-solving, organizational, communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills;
- Critical thinking, curiosity, resourcefulness, and plenty of flexibility;
- A solid understanding of the market and a (fiery) passion for video games;
- Excellent mentorship capabilities & a whole lot of empathy;
- Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently as a part of a big team with multiple stakeholders across two studios – TOR and MTL.
Nice to have
- Knowledge of 2D art tools (e.g. Photoshop) and 3D software (e.g. 3DS Max);
We know that skills and competencies show up in different forms and can be based on different experiences, that's why we strongly encourage you to apply even though you may not have all the requirements listed above.
We Offer:
· Competitive Salary
· Comprehensive Benefits Package:
o Disability Insurance
o Dental Insurance
o Extended medical insurance
o (Optional) RRSP contribution
o Relocation Assistance
o Bonus (If Applicable)
Why Ubisoft Toronto?
At Ubisoft Toronto, we look for people who are excited to create the future of games in one of the most diverse cities in the world. We believe that embracing our individuality helps us build stronger creative teams and develop better games for all players.
When you’re a member of our team, your professional development is a priority. Ubisoft Toronto conducts annual performance reviews and salary increases to help you further your career and grow with our studio. We also offer a comprehensive health benefits package, generous RRSP matching, industry education support, training, and career development.
We host regular team celebrations, organize events for employees and their families, and offer various health and wellness initiatives, including yoga, on-site occupational therapy, flexible work hours, and continuing programs to promote a balanced life.
Join us and see for yourself why Ubisoft is rated one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, and one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People multiple years running!
Join Us!
At Ubisoft Toronto, we believe diversity is our studio’s biggest strength. We’re committed to creating an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of our player community and is inclusive and respectful of the individuality of our team.
We encourage applications from Indigenous people, racialized people, neurodivergent people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities.
If this sounds like your kind of studio, what are you waiting for?
Ubisoft Toronto is committed to providing accommodations for accessibility upon request.
We thank you for your interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No agencies, please.
Additional Information
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
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