Gameplay Systems Tuner

About the Studio

We are building the next generation of gameplay-driven interactive entertainment. Our studio focuses on acquiring and evolving legacy gaming IP that helped define entire eras of players. We seek out franchises with proven impact and passionate communities, and bring them forward using modern technology, deeper gameplay systems, and a player-first design philosophy.

Our current project centers around a well-known legacy sports IP that previously sold millions of copies. Our goal is not simply to recreate what existed before, but to evolve it — pushing gameplay systems, design, and competitive depth to a new level. We believe the best games emerge when technical excellence, physics engines, and player-first design intersect.

The Role

We are looking for a Gameplay Systems Tuner who lives in the space between design and data. You are not designing the systems — you are making them sing. Pitch speeds, swing windows, power-up durations, stamina curves, collision thresholds — every variable that separates a game that feels right from one that feels almost right is your domain. You play the game constantly. You track everything. You know when a number is wrong before you can explain why.

You will work directly with the Lead Gameplay Engineer, Game Designer, and studio leadership to tune every parameter of the game toward the target experience — competitive, chaotic, deeply satisfying, and impossible to put down.

Responsibilities

• Own the tuning of gameplay variables across all core systems — pitching, hitting, fielding, running, and combat
• Build and maintain balance spreadsheets, tuning documents, and data tracking systems
• Play the game constantly and document feel problems with precision
• Collaborate with engineers to expose tuning parameters in accessible tools
• Design and run structured playtests to validate tuning changes
• Track the impact of tuning changes over time and maintain a clear record of what changed and why
• Identify exploits, dominant strategies, and feel problems before they become habits

Qualifications

• Experience in a gameplay design, systems design, or balance role on a shipped commercial title
• Strong analytical instincts — you can look at a spreadsheet and feel what the numbers mean in the game
• Deep familiarity with iterative playtesting methodologies
• Ability to articulate feel problems in terms engineers and designers can act on
• Experience working closely with engineering teams to expose and iterate on gameplay parameters

Bonus Experience

• Experience tuning sports, fighting, or arcade game systems
• Familiarity with data-driven design tools and telemetry systems
• Experience designing competitive balance for skill-based games
• A personal history of playing games until you understand exactly why they work

Why Join Us

Tuning is the final mile of game development and the one most often underinvested. Here it is a first-class discipline from day one. You will have direct access to the engineers and designers building the systems you tune, full ownership of the balance documentation, and a studio leadership team that understands the difference between a game that is finished and a game that is right.

If you have ever paused a game to figure out exactly why something felt off — and then figured it out — we want to talk.