Senior Game Designer

About Mob Entertainment

Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio best known for our hit indie horror game "Poppy Playtime." This franchise is one of the hottest new properties in gaming, boasting over 100 billion YouTube views of Poppy Playtime-related content since its launch four years ago. We are a mid-sized game studio focused on crafting memorable, atmospheric, and emotionally impactful gameplay experiences, specializing in immersive worlds where tension, storytelling, and player agency converge. Our team develops primarily in Unreal Engine and collaborates using Jira and Confluence to ship high-quality games with production discipline and creative ambition.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Game Designer with deep horror experience to lead the design of tense, atmospheric, and psychologically engaging gameplay systems. This position is ideal for someone who has worked on narrative or survival-horror titles similar in tone and craft to Alien: Isolation, SOMA, Amnesia, Dead Space, or comparable immersive horror experiences.

You will own core gameplay pillars such as tension pacing, player vulnerability, AI threat behaviors, and systemic scare design, directly influencing how players feel moment-to-moment, not just what they do. This is a highly hands-on role that combines creative vision, technical implementation in Unreal, and leadership across design and production.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design of core horror gameplay systems including stealth, survival, resource management, enemy behaviors, and player vulnerability.
• Craft tension curves, pacing beats, and emotional arcs across levels and chapters.
• Design systemic and scripted scare mechanics that create emergent, replayable dread, moving beyond simple jump scares.
• Collaborate with AI engineers on enemy behaviors, perception systems, and “hunter vs. hunted” dynamics.
• Prototype directly in Unreal (Blueprints) to tune gameplay feel, lighting interactions, triggers, and player feedback.
• Create clear feature specifications, player flows, and tuning documentation in Confluence.
• Break features into actionable Jira tasks and partner with Production on scope and estimates.
• Run playtests and iterate using player feedback and behavioral data.
• Work closely with Level Design, Narrative, Audio, and Lighting to deliver cohesive atmospheric experiences.
• Mentor other designers and help elevate the overall craft of horror design across the team.
• Champion immersion, accessibility, and player psychology best practices.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional game design experience with at least one shipped horror, survival, or atmospheric title.
• Direct experience designing tension-driven or traversal mechanics/systems.
• Strong understanding of player psychology, fear mechanics, and pacing.
• Hands-on Unreal Engine experience (Blueprints or similar gameplay implementation).
• Ability to rapidly prototype and iterate on mechanics.
• Experience documenting designs clearly and collaborating through Jira/Confluence.
• Proven ability to own features from concept through ship.
• Excellent cross-discipline communication skills.
• Experience on titles similar in style or scope to Alien: Isolation, SOMA, Amnesia, Dead Space, or other Horror based titles.

Preferred Qualifications

• AI or systemic design experience (enemy behaviors, perception systems, dynamic encounters).
• Narrative design or immersive sim experience.
• Audio-driven or lighting-driven gameplay design knowledge.
• Mentorship or design leadership experience.
• Experience with console or PC premium titles.

What Success Looks Like

• Players consistently report strong tension, immersion, and emotional impact.
• Gameplay systems create sustained dread through mechanics, not just scripted moments.
• Encounters feel dynamic and unscripted rather than predictable.
• Clear documentation and strong collaboration keep teams aligned.

Key skills/competency

• Horror Game Design
• Unreal Engine
• Blueprints
• Gameplay Systems
• Tension Pacing
• AI Design
• Narrative Design
• Jira/Confluence
• Prototyping
• Player Psychology