Game Design Lead

Argus Labs is building the next generation of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games by empowering players with the extensive freedom to build, extend, and influence the game worlds they inhabit. Our approach is centered around World Engine, our state-of-the-art onchain game server framework.
World Engine leverages a novel sharded rollup blockchain architecture, which allows games to use smart contracts for user-generated content (UGC) while scaling to tens of thousands of concurrent users without compromising performance. To date, World Engine is the most performant blockchain designed from the ground up for games and has been used in production for games like Dark Frontier, processing 700K+ player transactions within a week.

Backed by the best

We raised $10 million in seed funding led by Haun Ventures ($1.5B crypto fund led by former a16z GP, Katie Haun) with participation from influential angel investors in tech and gaming such as Elad Gil and Balaji Srinivasan (ex-Coinbase CTO).

Learn about who we are and our technology

• https://argus.gg

• https://world.dev

• https://twitter.com/ArgusLabs_

Responsibilities

• Own the vision and design of major game systems including progression, economy, combat balance, and core loops tailored to a hardcore MMO audience.

• Lead and mentor game studio team, providing direction, feedback, and support in alignment with creative and product goals.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, engineers, artists, narrative, and LiveOps teams to drive cohesive gameplay experiences.

• Establish and enforce high design standards through documentation, peer reviews, and rapid prototyping.

• Strong Excel skills, game scripting (Lua, Python), or system simulation tools.

• Familiarity with Unity or Unreal Engine and live telemetry tools.

• Design and manage systems that support long-term engagement, including live events, seasonal content, monetization loops, and in-game economies.

• Work closely with stakeholders to set KPIs, analyze player data, and optimize experiences based on live telemetry and player feedback.

• Own and iterate on content cadence strategies to sustain player retention, progression, and meaningful investment over time.

• Be an advocate of the needs and motivations of our highly-engaged, competitive audience through regular community listening and player research.

• Balance gameplay for fairness and depth, with a keen understanding of how to satisfy both casual and hardcore player personas within a shared world.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional game design experience, including 2+ years in a leadership or senior role.

• Shipped at least one live game with a strong LiveOps component (MMO, ARPG, looter shooters, or other long-tail online titles strongly preferred).

• Deep understanding of systems design, player motivation, and game balance—especially in games with progression, classes, skills, or gear-based mechanics.

• Proven experience designing for hardcore audiences—you know what makes min-maxers tick and how to craft meaningful high-skill gameplay loops.

• Strong familiarity with data-driven design—you can translate dashboards and player metrics into actionable design changes.

• Excellent communicator, collaborator, and mentor. You can clearly articulate design intent to both creatives and technical stakeholders.

• Passion for MMO-style games, sandbox systems, and community-driven game worlds.

Bonus Points

• Experience working on User-Generated Content tools or sandbox gameplay systems.

• Experience with blockchain or Web3-based game economies.

Perks & benefits

For full-time employees

• A note for the game industry veterans: no crunch :-)

• Flexible PTO (2 weeks required) + holidays

• 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance (US)

• 401k (US)

• Up to $1500 desk set-up stipend

• Well-being allowance

• Company retreats

We’re an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.