thatgamecompany

Technical Game Designer at thatgamecompany (Shanghai, China)

thatgamecompany· Shanghai, China·

Role details

Work type
Onsite
Employment
Full-Time

Job description

Technical Game Designer

We are a small studio dedicated to crafting unique and high-quality interactive experiences, and we are looking for a talented designer-programmer hybrid who will collaborate with both the engineering and design teams. The goal in this role is to drive the creation and improvement of core gameplay and technical systems and tools highly tuned for the level of rich feedback and player immersion that helped define our games.

An example week for this person might be: Attend a design meeting and discover the need for a new camera feature to support a new content release. Program the camera feature and jump into the level editor to test and refine its implementation. Then, improve the level editor’s toolset to enable the rest of the design team to make full use of your new feature in future levels. Of course, the role isn’t limited to just camera features. Any interactive system applies — procedural animation, cloth simulation, player controls, AI creatures, NPC interactions — use your imagination!

What you'll do here:

  • Crafting technical systems that enable gameplay (either alone or with a small team)
  • Create fluid user interactions with rich feedback and polished game feel
  • Enjoys enabling team members by improving the creative pipeline
  • Is comfortable with cross-disciplinary work and collaboration

Must haves:

  • Proficient in C++ (preferred), C, C# for quickly prototyping 3D gameplay
  • Visual scripting
  • Multiplayer game development
  • Online operation of a live game
  • Maya or 3D game engines
  • Portfolio of your work
  • Ok to take a test as part of our process

Nice to haves:

  • Seek adventure and uncertainty in exploring experimental and risky game concepts
  • Believe in the practice of rapid prototyping and relentless iteration
  • Have a desire to create meaningful, enriching experiences that touch and inspire players

We look forward to meeting you!

Why work at thatgamecompany

  • Culture: The studio describes itself as “compassionate, creative” and values “integrity and personal growth within an environment of intense collaboration and experimentation.” Employee rating on LinkedIn: 4.2/5.0 (11 reviews), with Culture score 4.3, Work-Life 4.2, Compensation 4.2, Career 4.1.
  • Remote/Hybrid/Office Policy: Not explicitly stated in provided sources, but headquarters in Santa Monica, California is a physical studio. The company previously planned a second studio in SF Bay Area (cancelled due to COVID) and now operates distributed across 15 countries, suggesting flexible/remote options are possible.
  • Notable Perks & Engineering Culture: Emphasis on “making magic” and pushing artistic boundaries; tech stack includes Kubernetes, Docker, Prometheus, Protobuf, Tableau, microservices, and GitHub. Employees come from top entertainment/tech companies (Pixar, Blizzard, Riot Games, Amazon, Unity, etc.), indicating a high-caliber peer group.
  • Growth Opportunity: With 24 active job postings (including Engineering, AI, Art, Marketing, Data) and a yearly hiring trend +4.3%, the studio is expanding. Roles such as Senior Data Analyst, Senior Machine Learning Engineer, and 3D Environment Artist signal opportunities to work on flagship products.
  • Mission-driven work: Opportunity to contribute to games that aim to make a positive impact on players’ lives and expand the emotional range of the medium.

Application questions