Middle Game Designer

Founded in 2012, N-iX Games is one of the biggest game development and art production vendors in Ukraine and Poland, working with leading publishers and media enterprises around the globe as a service provider. The team of 100+ professionals focuses on full-cycle game development, team extension, VR solutions, and content creation for all the most popular platforms. The studio has successfully collaborated with over 40 clients, including Blizzard Entertainment, Ubisoft, Gearbox Software, Paradox Interactive, Tempo Storm, and Supermassive Games.

As a Middle Game Designer in our team, you would be responsible for creating, documenting and improving exciting game mechanics. There will be creative work - story, mechanics, art style, as well as technical design - correct and useful documentation, game balancing, monetization, analysis of player behavior and a lot more, so prepare to sink deep into the design space, where there are no limits. Remember, that you would a part of the team, so fluent and effective communication with other team members would be a crucial part of the job. Be prepared to create exciting and engaging gameplay for millions of players!

Responsibilities:

• Create game-ready visuals — Design and illustrate high-quality 2D assets, including characters, environments, UI elements, and simple animations or interactive prototypes.

• Own the visual direction of game projects — Collaborate with developers and educators across multiple small games to define and deliver visual styles aligned with gameplay and educational goals.

• Contribute to gameplay design — Design intuitive interaction patterns, feedback systems, and rewarding mechanics that enhance learning outcomes and player engagement.

• Work within and define visual guidelines — Adapt to existing brand and curriculum-aligned illustration standards or help establish lightweight visual identities for new game concepts.

• Deliver production-ready assets — Prepare and export optimized assets suitable for lightweight web and mobile games (correct sizing, formats, compression).

• Support a fast-paced production environment — Create efficient, scalable art solutions that meet deadlines without compromising quality.

• Champion user-centric design — Ensure visuals and interactions are intuitive, accessible, inclusive, and engaging for young audiences.

Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in game design, preferably in educational games, serious games, or interactive learning experiences.

• Strong 2D illustration skills, with the ability to design characters, environments, and UI tailored for children.

• Experience contributing visuals to shipped games.

• Solid understanding of game UX principles, including clarity, accessibility, player flow, and engagement.

• Practical knowledge of preparing and optimizing assets for small 2D games across web and mobile platforms.

• Strong understanding of game design theory, player engagement strategies, and UX best practices.

• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or similar tools.

• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate in cross-functional teams (developers, educators, designers).

• Portfolio demonstrating game design and illustration work, including concept development and gameplay mechanics.

• At least Upper-Intermediate level of English

Nice to Have:

• Experience working across both web and mobile platforms.

• Familiarity with 2D game engines such as Unity or Godot.

• Experience with 2D animation.

• Basic scripting knowledge.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards and inclusive game design practices.

• Flexibility across multiple illustration styles.

We offer*:

• Flexible working format - remote, office-based or flexible

• A competitive salary and good compensation package

• Personalized career growth

• Professional development tools (mentorship program, tech talks and trainings, centers of excellence, and more)

• Active tech communities with regular knowledge sharing

• Education reimbursement

• Memorable anniversary presents

• Corporate events and team buildings

• Other location-specific benefits

*not applicable for freelancers