Experience Director

Crystal Dynamics is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide to add to our 30-plus year legacy of game development creating new and iconic franchises. We are committed to making great games with great people and living the dream while doing it.

Benefits for our regular full-time positions include, but are not limited to, a competitive regional salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options, professional development reimbursement, flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities, 12 company paid holidays, plus additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break, and the ability to accrue additional paid time-off.

Join us and shape the future of an amazing studio culture committed to creating award-winning franchises like Tomb Raider, the next Perfect Dark, and more!

Experience Director is a cross-disciplinary leadership role, similar to Creative Director, but with a unique focus on narrative, performance, and elements of 'experiential design.' This includes factors like emotionality, tone, pacing during gameplay and cinematics, and overall cohesion. The Experience Director will work closely with the Game Director to realize a cohesive vision specifically in the areas of story and experiential design. The Experience Director may also lead in key areas such as performance direction, strike-team leadership, and other cross-disciplinary functions.  

As an Experience Director, you will:

• Collaborate with the Game Director and Creative Director to shape and execute the game’s overarching vision.
• Work closely with the narrative team to develop and refine compelling story arcs.
• Interface with design, art, and audio teams to achieve a unified game experience.
• Evaluate and adjust the quality metrics in conjunction with discipline directors and leads.
• Facilitate feedback loops, turning team insights into actionable improvements.
• Update and communicate any changes to the game's vision, ensuring alignment across teams.
• Supervise and guide managers and their respective teams.
• Monitor and allocate resources to ensure timelines and budgets are adhered to.

To be considered for this role, we require the following:

• Prior experience in a Lead Designer / Director role for highly-rated next-gen games.
• Leadership experience, overseeing multi-disciplinary teams within AAA game development.
• Deep understanding of the competitive landscape, with an ability to discern and deliver engaging, fun gameplay/experiences that resonate with players.
• Ability to adapt to emerging trends and technologies in game development.
• Proficiency in advanced game development software and tools.
• Extensive understanding of end-to-end game development processes.
• Demonstrated capacity for fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Proven skills in both project management and team development.

Preference will be given to candidates who have:

• Specific genre experience relevant to the project.
• Portfolio that showcases the ability to drive innovative design and vision execution.

It'll be a bonus, if you also have:

• Experience in Unreal Engine

The pay range for this role includes the annual base salary, not including bonus and the generous benefits package that Crystal Dynamics provides all full-time employees. Individual compensation is determined by work location within our approved states or regions, as well as additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about total compensation.

Not sure if you are qualified? We hope that you will still choose to apply so we may review your application!

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Crystal Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to identifying and implementing positive and persistent measures to ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment, hiring, development, training, promotion and compensation of a diverse team employee group. This includes persons of different race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, political affiliation, age, veteran status, uniform service member status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or citizenship, as well as any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

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