--- title: 'Technical Game Designer at 2K' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/technical-game-designer-2k-kirkland-ycekxw5xbhe3' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-26' --- # Technical Game Designer at 2K - **Company:** 2K - **Location:** Kirkland, WA - **Posted:** 2026-09-28 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-26 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/2k/jobs/8001589003 ## Job description 2K’s Cat Daddy studio, based in Kirkland, Washington, was started 25+ years ago by industry veterans and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive within the 2K Label. The studio is a fun, dedicated family of incredibly hardworking game developers. We have shipped games on almost every genre and platform, with a current focus on mobile games. What We Need: Cat Daddy is seeking a Technical Designer to join our team of artists, engineers, and product managers to design, prototype, and ship features for free-to-play mobile games. This role sits between design and engineering. You will carry a feature from the first pitch through to the live build: writing the spec, standing up the prototype in Unity, wiring it into the services that run our games, and tuning it once players are inside it. The ideal candidate has shipped multiple F2P mobile games in a design or technical design role. This is an in-office position, located in Kirkland, WA. Must be able to work onsite 4 days a week. What You Will Do: - Design new gameplay experiences including limited-time events, complete game modes, and mini-games that add variety and excitement to the core game loop. - Own features end to end, from the pitch through a working prototype, the shipped build, and the live tuning pass that follows. - Write specs that hold up as executable instructions: clear intent, explicit constraints, acceptance criteria, edge cases, and the failure states that separate a good build from a plausible one. - Build, orchestrate, and refine agentic workflows across the design pipeline, covering research, competitive teardowns, spec drafting, prototype scaffolding, balance sweeps, content authoring, and telemetry analysis. - Prototype directly in Unity so a concept can be played, and validated against live service systems. - Collaborate with cross-functional teams to balance fun, difficulty, and monetization across your designs. Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: - 5+ years of game design experience, with a focus on free-to-play mobile games, plus a Bachelor's degree in a related field and/or comparable, relevant work experience. - Deep, hands-on practice with agentic tooling and workflows, used daily rather than demoed occasionally. - Fluency in the craft that makes those workflows work: context and prompt construction, task decomposition, tool and permission design, checkpointing, evaluation harnesses, and honest measurement of quality over time. - Production experience in Unity building mobile games. - Expert-level understanding of the mobile game market from a game design perspective, including game economies, data analysis, back-end environments, and live infrastructure. - Practical understanding of game development pipelines end to end. - World-class communication skills, with proven ability to produce effective design documentation, and a great teammate who can collaborate with engineers and artists on game development. The pay range for this position in Kirkland, WA at the start of employment is expected to be between $88,700 and $131,300 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses. If hired, employee will be in an "at-will position" and the company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. At Cat Daddy, we believe diversity of experience is fundamental to crafting accessible and fun gaming experiences for all of our players. We encourage everyone to consider being a part of our team. We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. Please note that Cat Daddy is unable to provide visa sponsorship or assistance for this position. All candidates must be legally authorized to work in United States without requiring current or future employer sponsorship. By clicking on the link below, you consent to the processing of your personal information by 2K Games, Inc. and its affiliate Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. in accordance with the Privacy Notice for Job Applicants (the “Privacy Notice”), available at [https://www.2k.com/applicantprivacypolicy/](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.2k.com/applicantprivacypolicy/&utm_source=gemini). The Notice provides information about how we use your data and how you can exercise your right of access, rectification or deletion. If you need more information, please contact the Privacy Contact identified in the Notice. I have read the Notice consent to the collection, processing, transfer and use of my personal information by 2K Games and Take-Two. Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts. #LI-Onsite ## About 2K ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: 2K is a major video game publisher and developer, best known for iconic franchises like *NBA 2K*, *Borderlands*, *Civilization*, *BioShock*, *Mafia*, *WWE 2K*, and *XCOM*. - **Entity Type**: Private subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive (public parent company, NASDAQ: TTWO) - **Headquarters**: Novato, California, USA (with global offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia) - **Founded**: January 25, 2005 (as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive) - **Founders**: Founded as a corporate entity by Take-Two Interactive; key early leaders included Christoph Hartmann (former President). Current President is David Ismailer. ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Video game development and publishing (AAA, sports, and strategy games) - **Target customers**: B2C (consumers/gamers globally across PC, console, and mobile platforms) - **Mission or purpose statement**: "We enable all gamers to build, connect, escape and dream big!" (from their official values page) ## Products & Services - **NBA 2K Series**: Flagship basketball simulation franchise, released annually across console and PC. - **Borderlands Series**: Acclaimed first-person shooter looter-shooter franchise. - **Civilization Series**: Legendary turn-based strategy series (developed by Firaxis Games, a 2K studio). - **BioShock Series**: Critically acclaimed narrative-driven first-person shooter series. - **Mafia Series**: Open-world crime drama franchise. - **WWE 2K Series**: Professional wrestling simulation franchise. - **XCOM Series**: Tactical strategy franchise. - **PGA Tour 2K Series**: Golf simulation franchise. - **Top Spin Series**: Tennis simulation franchise (revived in 2024). - **2K Foundations**: Social impact program that builds community and youth engagement programs, including refurbishing basketball courts globally. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: 2K is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two's market cap is approximately **$30+ billion** (as of mid-2025), with 2K being one of its two core publishing labels alongside Rockstar Games. - **Key Metric**: 2K is a private subsidiary; exact revenue is not disclosed separately. However, Take-Two Interactive’s total net revenue for fiscal year 2024 was approximately **$5.6 billion**, with 2K contributing a significant portion. The company employs approximately **4,000 people**. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company is Take-Two Interactive. Key development studio partners include Visual Concepts (NBA 2K), Firaxis Games (Civilization), Gearbox Software (Borderlands), and Hangar 13 (Mafia). - **Growth Signals**: 2K has been actively expanding its development network, including the acquisition of Gearbox Software in 2024. The company continues to launch major franchise entries and invest in new IP. It has a growing presence in mobile gaming and live-service models. ## Competitive Advantages - **Iconic IP Portfolio**: Owns some of the most valuable and long-running franchises in gaming (*NBA 2K*, *Borderlands*, *Civilization*, *BioShock*). - **Massive Global Reach**: Games sell tens of millions of copies annually across all major platforms. - **Strong Parent Backing**: As a core label of Take-Two, 2K has significant financial resources for marketing, development, and acquisitions. - **Diverse Studio Network**: Operates a wide range of internal studios with specialized expertise (sports, strategy, action, RPG). - **2K Foundations**: A unique social impact program that builds brand goodwill and community engagement. ## Strategic Focus - **Franchise Expansion**: Continuing to grow its flagship franchises with annual releases, new entries, and expanded content. - **Live Service & Engagement**: Deepening post-launch engagement through in-game events, battle passes, and microtransactions (especially in *NBA 2K*). - **Mobile & New Platforms**: Expanding into mobile gaming and new platforms. - **Studio Investment**: Acquiring and investing in top-tier development talent (e.g., Gearbox). - **Technology & AI**: Investing in R&D for game engines, AI, and data science to improve game quality and player experiences (evidenced by job postings for AI R&D, data science, and Unreal Engine roles). ## Why Work Here - **Work on Iconic Franchises**: Opportunity to contribute to some of the most beloved and best-selling game series in the world. - **Culture**: Described as a blend of "NYC roots with a Northern California vibe," with a focus on being direct, open, and friendly. The company emphasizes "Come As You Are" and "Give a ^%$*" as core values. - **Remote/Hybrid/Office Policy**: 2K has a hybrid work model. Many roles are listed with specific locations (Novato, Los Angeles, Montreal, Bengaluru, etc.), but some positions offer remote flexibility. - **Notable Perks**: Located in a unique headquarters (converted airplane hangars in Novato, CA) near hiking, biking trails, and wine country. The company also runs a motion capture studio in Petaluma, CA. - **Engineering Culture**: Strong emphasis on technical innovation, with dedicated teams for AI R&D, Core Tech/Tools, Data Science, and Online Services. Many job postings focus on Unreal Engine, data engineering, and systems architecture. - **Social Impact**: Employees can participate in 2K Foundations, which refurbishes basketball courts and builds community spaces globally. ## Sources 1. [2k.com/careers/](https://2k.com/careers/) 2. [2k.com/about/](https://2k.com/about/) 3. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/2k](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/2k) 4. 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