Principal Progression Economy Designer

Are you on a mission to create games that bond players together into deeply invested communities? Would you like to work on something comedic with lighthearted and whimsical characters? Do you have a perceptive eye for how multiplayer game economies and progression systems are intertwined? Do you enjoy deconstructing how these systems create depth and motivate competitive players to engage with a game in the long term? Are you intrigued by how progression and economy intersect with other experiences, such as gameplay mastery and social connections to create engagement loops? We are seeking a technically skilled, creative, and team-oriented hands-on Principal Progression Economy Designer to contribute to a new multiplayer action game on teamLFG. Most importantly, you will work with a cross-discipline team of dreamers and empathetic world builders devoted to turning a creative dream into a new franchise at PlayStation. We welcome candidates who value joining a mission-focused team with a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, interests, and viewpoints.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• As a hands-on individual contributor, own the design goals and implementation of progression systems that meet the needs of onboarding newcomers and returning seasoned players
• Deliver achievement and reward structures that encourage pro-social and collaborative behavior in team games
• Set the standards for player motivational loops that are ethical, meaningful, and enriching.
• Define player experience goals to evolve the economic ecosystem based on feedback from leadership, live KPIs, and community sentiment
• Collaborate with Product Managers and other leads (combat, social systems, UX designers) to roll out impactful systemic solutions that are sustainable long-term
• Oversee and drive seasonal content delivery to continually surprise and delight the community

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Strong foundation in building goal-driven, competitive multiplayer game progression and economies
• Demonstrate empathy and understanding of different player motivations in PVP games and the ability to design incentives that generate short- to long-term engagement for them
• Proven ability to both propose design concepts and perform hands-on implementation (e.g., using scripting or prototyping tools to bring systems to life)
• Expertise in balancing content perishability against lifetime persistence of seasonal resets to sustain player motivation
• Experience testing and running resets of the economy and progression in a live-service multiplayer environment is ideal
• Self-driven and collaborative across crafts, with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills

NICE-TO-HAVE SKILLS

• Track record designing game economies that encourage social connections between players through the value of virtual goods
• Experience delegating work or ownership of an area to multidisciplinary peers
• Familiarity with development using Unreal Engine 5

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location. Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package. Click here to learn more. This is a flexible role that can be remote, with varying pay ranges based on geographic location. For example, if you are based out of Seattle, the estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.

$172,000 — $258,000 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks. Please refer to our  Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.