Creative Director & Lead Game Designer (Mobile F2P - Licensed IP)

Full time - Remote Remote - open to all EU locations The Opportunity UserWise is developing a new mobile game based on a globally recognized entertainment IP, blending proven F2P systems with fast, rewarding hybrid‑casual gameplay. We're looking for a Creative Director / Lead Game Designer to own the creative vision, game feel, and design quality of the project. This role is the creative authority for the project – responsible for defining the player experience, setting the quality bar, and ensuring that every interaction feels rewarding, intuitive, and cohesive. This is a hands‑on leadership role in a lean team environment. You will actively design, prototype, and iterate alongside engineers and artists, bridging mass‑market accessibility with long‑term retention, and shaping the soul of the game from early prototypes through launch. Role Focus • Design vision & creative direction • Quality bar across all gameplay and systems • Clarity, cohesion, and emotional impact of the player experience As the design team grows, this role acts as the final design decision‑maker, while delegating execution to systems and feature designers. What You’ll Do Vision & Experience Ownership • Define and own the overall creative vision, experience pillars, and player fantasy • Act as the guardian of the core loop and game feel, ensuring interactions, feedback, pacing, and rewards feel tactile, satisfying, and premium • Establish and uphold the design quality bar across gameplay, progression, monetization touchpoints, and LiveOps • Make final calls on major design trade‑offs to preserve clarity, cohesion, and emotional impact Core Gameplay, Retention & Systems Direction • Shape the core loop, session structure, and high‑level progression strategy • Architect the game’s retention strategy, designing emotional highs/lows and session flows that support long‑term engagement • Guide the direction of economy, rewards, streaks, and monetization systems to serve core fun rather than overwhelm it • Ensure trivia gameplay, meta systems, and social mechanics work together holistically Team Leadership & Collaboration • Serve as the creative and design lead while remaining deeply hands‑on in day‑to‑day development • Guide and mentor other designers (systems, economy, feature/content) while continuing to contribute directly to game design • Partner closely with the Lead Producer on scope, priorities, and milestone planning • Collaborate daily with the Technical Director to align design intent with technical execution • Work with Art and UI/UX leadership to ensure design, visuals, and UX reinforce the same vision Hands‑On Design & Prototyping • Actively design, prototype, and iterate on core gameplay, flows, and experience moments – this is a hands‑on role, not a review‑only position • Lead and participate in rapid prototyping to validate fun, clarity, pacing, and player delight • Personally own the design of key features or experience pillars, especially during early and mid‑production • Review and iterate on designs from other designers, providing clear, actionable feedback • Deconstruct competitor experiences to inform polish, pacing, and player motivation Requirements • 8‑10+ years of professional game design experience, including leadership responsibility • Proven experience owning design vision, game feel, and quality on a shipped mobile F2P title • Strong background in casual or hybrid‑casual games with an emphasis on progression and retention • Demonstrated mastery of player motivation, feedback loops, pacing, and polish • Experience improving or owning retention metrics (D1/D7/D30+) on live products • Comfortable working hands‑on with prototypes and collaborating deeply with engineering and art • Excellent communication and decision‑making skills • Fluent in English; effective in a remote, international team Nice to Have • Experience working on licensed IP • Experience guiding a design team across MVP → soft launch → live • Familiarity with LiveOps, events, and post‑launch iteration • Hands‑on experience with Unity or other game engines • Familiarity with AI‑assisted development or gameplay systems, such as content generation, tuning automation, or adaptive difficulty Benefits • Own the creative vision of a new mobile game from concept to global launch • Work with a veteran‑led team in a lean, high‑ownership environment • High visibility and direct impact on a flagship project • Opportunity to build and shape a growing design team • Work on a globally recognised IP with real brand reach and growth potential • 100% remote, flexible work with a small, passionate, execution‑focused team Apply tot his job