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Gardens Interactive is a fully distributed game studio building multiplayer fantasy adventures centered on connection, collective adventure, and emergent stories. The studio was founded by creators behind acclaimed titles including Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Blaseball, Dustforce, Ashen, Guild Wars 2, and Baldur's Gate 3.
As a Technical Game Designer (Level Designer), you will create worlds and sandboxes filled with opportunities for play. You combine level design craft with technical implementation skills in Unreal Engine using Blueprints and/or C++. You will design and build gameplay verbs, activities, challenges, and interactions that invite players to experiment and engage with their surroundings.
Key responsibilities include:
- Rapidly prototype and validate new gameplay verbs, activities, and environmental interactions in Unreal Engine for online multiplayer
- Build and refine levels using mechanics and tools you create alongside existing systems, hazards, and enemies
- Own the design, implementation, debugging, polish, and maintenance of interactive world features and environmental gameplay toys
- Build levels from blockout through delivery, shaping flow, pacing, navigation, and readability across exploration, puzzles, traversal, and encounters
- Create reusable, configurable gameplay components and tools that help designers build and iterate efficiently
- Playtest with the team to understand how players discover and use affordances, then refine levels and features
- Collaborate across disciplines to align with design direction, integrate player abilities and creature encounters, and meet technical requirements
- Partner with Engineering to resolve performance issues and ensure reliable multiplayer behavior
- Document features and tools so the team can use, tune, and maintain them
The role reports to the Design Manager. Gardens values curiosity, adaptation, good judgment, team care, ambitious goals paired with humility, and commitment to the shared adventure. The studio is fully distributed across North American time zones and emphasizes collaboration, thoughtful iteration, and the courage to explore new ideas.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Strong level design fundamentals in spatial composition, flow, pacing, and player guidance for open-world exploration and multiplayer play
- At least one shipped game as a level designer on a multidisciplinary team
- Proficiency in Unreal Engine Blueprints and/or C++, with the ability to independently prototype, implement, and debug gameplay features
- Experience building levels and authoring collision and navigation in Unreal Engine
- Strong playtesting and iteration habits, with an understanding of how design shapes player behavior, cooperation, and relationships
- Clear communication, strong collaboration, and the judgment to work independently, recognize constraints, and seek support when needed
- Legal authorization to work in the United States or Canada
- Willingness to work within North American time zones (EST–PST)
NICE TO HAVE:
- Experience building reusable level design tools, modular gameplay kits, or procedural workflows in Unreal Engine
- Experience designing systemic puzzles, physics-based interactions, or environmental features that support multiple solutions and emergent multiplayer play
- Experience profiling and optimizing gameplay scripts and level content
