Full-Time

Lead Designer

Posted on 8/20/2026

31st Union

31st Union

201-500 employees

Multiplatform AAA game studio; free-to-play

Compensation Overview

$127.5k - $190k/yr

+ Bonus + Equity awards

San Mateo, CA, USA

Remote

Category
Creative Production
Required Skills
UI/UX Design
Unreal Engine
C#
C/C++

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Requirements
  • At least 8 years of professional game design experience, including at least 1 year managing, mentoring, and maintaining accountability for multiple designers within a feature team or area on a AAA development team.
  • Experience shaping and building a live-service game or major live-service systems from development through launch.
  • Experience designing and leading multiplayer features that touch multiple systems and require strong integration, such as game modes, characters, economy, and progression.
  • A theory-crafting skillset and prior experience designing for depth and multiplayer gameplay.
  • A deep understanding of UI, art, engineering, audio, and visual effects components to ensure cohesive and integrated gameplay.
  • A proactive approach that creates movement in the right direction.
  • The ability to rapidly filter large volumes of feedback into concrete and useful improvements.
  • The ability to manage, articulate, and advocate for effective tradeoffs.
  • Experience in the multiplayer player-versus-player and competitive space, with the ability to deconstruct what works and why.
  • The capability to abstract designs beyond single solutions into patterns and models of player behavior, providing options and flexible design solutions.
  • Strong experience with Unreal Engine and Blueprint visual scripting; programming experience in C++, C#, or similar languages is a plus.
Responsibilities
  • Lead a feature team by setting scope, approach, and design objectives that meet overall game goals.
  • Manage other designers by providing support, growth, and actionable feedback on both their work and how they work.
  • Define and set sprint and milestone objectives for the team, including appropriate tradeoffs, costs, and areas of work to prioritize.
  • Evaluate and diagnose work to identify improvements and opportunities, along with plans to achieve them.
  • Work cross-functionally within and outside the team to communicate and align on work, tradeoffs, and dependencies, and communicate changes across the organization.
  • Maintain and enforce executional standards and practices for scripting and design execution, including in-engine work and documentation.

31st Union is a game development studio under the Take-Two Interactive publishing label that creates multiplatform AAA video games. It is developing Project ETHOS, a free-to-play third-person roguelike hero shooter, with monetization through in-game items. The team includes roles like Senior Animation Engineers and Senior Core Engineers to build high-performance animation systems and runtime solutions, and operates globally. The goal is to deliver engaging, globally accessible experiences that attract a large player base and sustain revenue through free-to-play models.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

San Mateo, California

Founded

2019

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Take-Two's July 2026 outlook lists Project ETHOS in active development.
  • 31st Union posted March 2026 jobs for UI, gameplay, rendering, and core engineers.
  • 31st Union's May 2026 concept-art update signaled renewed direction after playtest feedback.

What critics are saying

  • May 2026 layoffs shrank 31st Union, proving Project ETHOS remains structurally overstaffed.
  • 2024 playtests exposed weak identity; another rework can push launch beyond 2027.
  • If Project ETHOS misses differentiation again, 31st Union becomes an existential cost center.

What makes 31st Union unique

  • 31st Union spans San Mateo and Valencia, building one global AAA team.
  • Ben Brinkman, formerly Apex Legends executive producer, leads Project ETHOS reimagining.
  • Project ETHOS combines free-to-play, third-person hero-shooter, roguelike mechanics under 2K.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Performance Bonus

Company Equity

401(k) Retirement Plan

Hybrid Work Options