Lead Game Designer

Title: Lead Game Designer
Location: Seattle Studio
About Starform

Starform is a small, in-person studio on a mission to create those rare games with enough reach and depth to cross boundaries and become cultural phenomena. We stay small on purpose because we believe a focused team of the right people can outbuild a much larger one.

Our current title, Metal storm, is a 5v5 real-time air-combat game with more than 17 million lifetime players.

You’ll own the vision and execution behind the content and systems that shape customization, progression, economy, and monetization. This is one of the studio’s highest-leverage design surfaces: early-game progression and monetization are where much of our opportunity is won or lost. You’ll work closely with the Creative Director to define the strategy and turn it into a better game.

The role is systems-first, but not systems-only. You’ll also design gameplay content—including modes, aircraft, weapons, and abilities—while tuning economic systems and guiding content creation. You’ll take features from concept through launch and live-operations tuning, making decisions based on how players actually behave.

• Design and ship features from concept through launch, iteration, balancing, and live-operations tuning. You’ll own the outcome, not just the initial design.
• Own key systems across gameplay, progression, economy, customization, monetization, and live operations. Design, document, and ship the systems that drive our core KPIs while treating player trust as a highly valuable asset.
• Develop monetization strategies that feel rewarding and fair, giving players compelling reasons to invest in the game without compromising competitive integrity or long‑term trust.
• Balance depth, accessibility, competitiveness, and long‑term engagement. Build systems that create meaningful aspiration and status at the right moments.
• Write clear design documentation that aligns the entire team across engineering, art, QA, production, analytics, community, and marketing.
• Work AI‑native. Use AI tools to prototype economies, simulate balance, generate and test content variants, and run more design iterations than a human‑only process allows. We expect AI to multiply your output, not replace your judgment.
• Use analytics, community feedback, play testing, and your own instincts to understand what is working and what is not. Iterate quickly based on real player behavior rather than assumptions.
• Ask difficult questions and challenge assumptions, regardless of where an idea originates.
• Make thoughtful tradeoffs that improve the overall game rather than optimizing individual features in isolation.
• Be a trusted creative partner to the Creative Director and collaborate closely with engineering, production, art, QA, community, analytics, and product.
• Raise the quality of design discussions through clear thinking, strong rationale, and a willingness to challenge ideas constructively.

• 7+ years of professional game-design experience, including at least 2 years in a lead role.
• Experience shipping and operating live-service games, preferably free-to-play.
• Deep experience in systems and monetization design, including progression, economy, live events, or competitive multiplayer.
• A strong understanding of player behavior, retention, monetization, and long‑term engagement.
• Excellent design judgment and the ability to find clear, practical solutions to complex player problems.
• Comfort making decisions with incomplete information, testing assumptions, and iterating quickly.
• Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to explain design decisions clearly across disciplines.
• A collaborative mindset and a desire to build the best possible game through…