GAME SYSTEMS DESIGNER (INKOGNIDO PRODUCT & DESIGN TEAM) Job at Inkognido, Chicago, IL

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  • Inkognido
  • Chicago, IL

Job Description

Location: Remote
Compensation: Phantom Equity (early team pool)
Type: Full-Time / Contractor

🧩 About the Opportunity

Inkognido’s gameplay ecosystem spans:
Realms MMO (combat, progression, classes, crafting, exploration)
Mini-games connected to the larger universe
Echo Reality AR mission systems
AI avatar interaction rules
Economy and reward loops

The Game Systems Designer builds the underlying mechanics and frameworks that make all of these experiences feel cohesive, rewarding, and scalable.
This role blends:
Systems thinking
Progression design
Content structure
Balancing
Player psychology
Interconnected gameplay loops
If you love designing systems that players engage with for hundreds of hours, this is a core design role.

🚀 Your Mission

Design the gameplay systems, loops, and progression structures that define how players evolve, interact, and stay engaged in the Inkognido universe.
You will:
Build systems for Realms MMO
Structure mission logic across AR and in-game layers
Define rewards, pacing, and player growth
Shape the backbone of long-term player retention
Your designs become the rules and rhythms of the world.

🛠 Responsibilities

Design core gameplay systems: combat frameworks, crafting, exploration loops, class abilities, etc.
Build progression systems: leveling, skill trees, attributes, unlock paths
Create mission structures that connect Realms and Echo Reality
Work with Economy Designer on reward distribution and pacing
Collaborate with Narrative on story-driven mission structures
Build systems documentation, flowcharts, and gameplay formulas
Iterate based on player feedback and internal testing
Maintain balance across difficulty, pacing, and progression
Collaborate with engineers to implement systems cleanly
Ensure systems fit together logically across the Inkognido ecosystem
Support AI team on behavior rules, interaction logic, and systemic storytelling
This is a worldbuilding-through-systems position.

🧠 Requirements

Must Have:
Experience designing game systems for RPGs, MMOs, or progression-heavy games
Strong understanding of player psychology and engagement loops
Ability to create detailed design docs, formulas, and flowcharts
Understanding of combat readability, balance, and pacing
Experience collaborating with engineers, artists, and writers
Ability to iterate and refine based on testing and feedback
Strong communication skills and systems clarity

Nice to Have:

AR mission design experience
Familiarity with real-world geolocation gameplay
Comfort with spreadsheets, balancing tools, or simulation setups
Experience designing for AI-driven NPCs or social systems
Knowledge of UI/UX implications of systems design
This role is perfect for designers who think in patterns, loops, and multi-system harmony.

💡 Why This Role Matters

Game systems define:
How players grow
Why they return
How missions connect
How combat feels
How rewards land
How AR and MMO layers reinforce each other
Without strong systems:
The world collapses under confusion
Progress feels meaningless
Gameplay loops break
Long-term engagement dies
You architect the mechanics that make Inkognido’s world fun, deep, and replayable.

🏆 What You Get

Phantom equity eligibility
Ownership of major gameplay frameworks
Collaboration with combat, economy, narrative, and AR designers
A portfolio-defining role shaping a large interconnected universe
Ability to influence gameplay across multiple genres and platforms
Freedom to design both micro-systems and macro-loops

✉️ How You Work With Others

Combat Designers – Ability frameworks, damage formulas
Narrative Designers – Story integration into gameplay loops
Economy Designer – Currency, rewards, sinks, pacing
AI Team – Behavior rules for systemic characters
AR Team – Geolocation mission systems + real-world logic
Realms Engineers – Gameplay implementation
UI/UX Team – How systems present to players
You sit at the center of all gameplay logic.

📚 Study Links (Internal Use)

(Optional)
Systems Design Templates
MMO Progression Framework
AR Mission Loop Diagrams
Difficulty & Pacing Standards
Player Behavior Research Notes

📩 How to Apply
Apply via the portal:
👉
Or email:

hiringteam@inkognido.com

recruiterdarnell@inkognido.com

chrishiringlead@inkognidostudios.com

daylinrecruiter@inkognidostudios.com
Include:
Resume
Systems design samples (docs, charts, formulas)
Any shipped games or prototypes you contributed to
A short note about your systems design philosophy

Job Tags

Full time, For contractors, Remote work,

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