Senior Game Designer (3Cs: Camera, Controls, Character) - 9 Month Contract

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.Our studio operates as a remote-first workplace, offering flexible work arrangements. At this time, we are only able to hire candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada.

Blackbird Interactive is looking for an experienced Senior Game Designer to help define and deliver core gameplay for a third-person, modern military tactical shooter. This role focuses on owning and refining the camera, controls, and character, ensuring movement, aiming, and interaction feel responsive, readable, and grounded in tactical authenticity.

You’ll work closely with other designers, engineering, animation, and production to build and iterate on core player mechanics that support fluid team coordination, deliberate decision-making, and cinematic action. The role involves collaborating with leadership to align the 3Cs with the broader creative vision, while owning systems end to end, from early prototyping through implementation, tuning, iteration, and polish.

As a senior member of the team, you will also support and mentor other designers, helping elevate the overall quality of gameplay feel and player experience. If you are passionate about responsive controls, expressive character movement, and creating a strong connection between player input and on-screen action, this role could be a great fit.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with design, engineering, animation, and production to support and implement the core gameplay vision through camera, controls, and character systems

• Own and drive the development of the 3Cs, including player movement, camera behavior, aiming systems such as ADS, and input responsiveness

• Prototype, implement, and iterate on player control schemes to ensure they feel intuitive, precise, and responsive across gameplay scenarios

• Design and tune third-person camera systems that balance situational awareness, readability, and cinematic presentation

• Work closely with animation and engineering to ensure character movement, transitions, and combat interactions feel grounded, fluid, and believable

• Integrate 3Cs with gameplay systems such as shooting, cover, traversal, and squad-based mechanics to support tactical play

• Test, debug, and iterate regularly on moment-to-moment gameplay, identifying issues with feel, readability, and responsiveness

• Establish and maintain standards for gameplay feel, control responsiveness, and camera behavior across the project

• Provide clear, constructive feedback on gameplay feel and player experience to help maintain quality and consistency

• Mentor and support other designers, sharing best practices and helping elevate team understanding of 3Cs design

• Anticipate dependencies and risks, working with cross-discipline partners to ensure smooth implementation and iteration

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in game development with a strong focus on player-facing gameplay systems, especially camera, controls, and character

• Experience shipping at least one AAA title with direct contribution to player movement, camera systems, or control schemes

• Proven ability to own gameplay systems from concept through implementation, tuning, and polish

• Strong understanding of third-person gameplay fundamentals, including camera framing, input responsiveness, locomotion, and combat feel

• Experience working closely with animation and engineering to deliver high-quality character movement and interaction systems

• Deep understanding of gameplay feel, including timing, responsiveness, feedback, and player readability

• Comfort working hands-on in engine, implementing and tuning gameplay systems and debugging issues directly

• Strong collaboration and communication skills with the ability to work effectively across disciplines

• Experience mentoring or supporting other designers

Pluses

• Experience working on third-person shooters or tactically grounded gameplay experiences

• Familiarity with ADS systems, cover mechanics, and squad-based gameplay

• Strong understanding of controller-first design and input mapping for console

• Appreciation for how animation, camera, audio, and VFX combine to enhance gameplay feel

• Passion for delivering responsive, immersive player experiences with a high level of polish

• Interest in balancing realism with playability in modern military settings

$115,000 - $130,000 a year