About Our Studio and Role

We are Darkbright Studios, creators of Smolbound! We are a dynamic, growing startup led by a decorated team of industry veterans, and backed by some of the biggest names in the gaming space. We’re dedicated to showing the world that web3 isn’t a genre – it’s a platform that best-in-class, unforgettable experiences can be built on! 

We are seeking a Systems Designer to join the team and help us craft extensible experiences that will delight and engage players for years to come. You will be designing and building progression and skill systems, shaping and creating a robust in-game ecosystem, and evolving our combat into a true agricultural achievement. If you’re the kind of person who thinks that working on your core means getting your core loops tighter,  if you’ve created or prototyped a board/card/video game just because you had ideas you wanted to try out, or you have looked at MMO system diagrams and thought “Is that it?” then you might be who we’ve been looking for!

Here at Darkbright, we operate on open-minded ownership as inspired builders of passion. That’s all fancy words to just say–we put product, quality, and fun first. We are scrappy, nimble, and happy to move with some ambiguity. We each bring strong discipline and passion each day, and most of all, we love games. If working in a tight-knit, collaborative team within a high impact role sounds like what you want, we’d love to chat!

Who you are

• You have a solid understanding of what makes excellent content within a quest, mission, and exploration structure

• You’re comfortable in all phases of content generation, from inception and ideation, to implementation, testing and polish

• You’re experienced working within Unity, Unreal, or other comparable tools

• You are committed to understanding who your players are, and creating content that leaves them clamoring for more!

• You have a knack for humor, and you know how to translate that into fun gameplay

• You’re able to work well with others in a remote-only environment across disciplines, receive feedback, and clearly communicate design and intentions across multiple mediums

Responsibilities

• Work with the Creative Director and other team members to create quests, encounters, and other forms of content within the world of Smolbound

• Use development tools to implement, test, and balance game content

• Create maps and islands with in-house tools to develop and refine your content ideas, and work with artists to refine and polish your creations

• Organize and participate in playtests, soliciting feedback on your work, as well as providing feedback to others to ensure the highest quality experience possible

• Help design and balance enemies, as well as the powerful produce players will bludgeon them with

Qualifications

• You’ve worked on at least one game full-cycle, and have specific references that demonstrate your contributions

• You have a deep love for gaming as a whole, and can thoughtfully articulate why gamers resonate and attach to different genres, mechanics, tones, and aesthetics

• Experience working with Unity (or equivalent), scripting experience is a plus

• Able to work remotely within North American time zones (UTC-5 – UTC-8)

Bonus Points!

• You have a demonstrable interest in web3, and pushing the platform forward with best in class game design and unparalleled experiences

• You’re passionate about RPGs, Action, and Simulation games, and the thought of merging those together in new and interesting ways sends your mind spiraling with exciting possibilities

• You can write within a variety of stories, from the epic and adventurous, to the suspenseful, frightening, and tragic, all the way to the humorous, joyous, and triumphant

• You’re an anime fan (or you at least know how to talk to and understand them)

These items are just a list, but bullet points seldom capture the whole picture of a person. We want to assess all of you, including who you are and the potential of who you can be. If you have some or all of what we’re seeking, please apply!

Application requirements

To apply, please send us the following materials:

• Your resume

• (Optional) A cover letter

If you choose to include a cover letter, what you put is up to you – but we’d love to learn more about you and why the world of Smolbound speaks to you. The most important part is to be genuine and have fun with it – we want to know you, not just what you’ve done!