Electronic Arts

Game Designer - EA SPORTS™ NHL

EA SPORTS is one of the most iconic brands in entertainment – connecting hundreds of millions around the world to the sports they love through a portfolio of industry-leading video games.

EA SPORTS NHL has revolutionized sports gaming for millions of players worldwide. We’ve pioneered award-winning creative technology and experiences to connect players to the speed, skill, and heart of the NHL.

EA SPORTS is looking for a passionate and driven Game Designer I to join the NHL Gameplay Team. In this role, you will help shape the moment-to-moment player experience that defines the authenticity, fluidity, and fun of EA SPORTS NHL. You will collaborate with design leadership and cross-disciplinary partners to bring innovative gameplay features to life while maintaining the high standards of quality and realism that fans expect.

This position is ideal for a designer who thrives in a collaborative environment, can take ownership of localized gameplay systems, and is eager to grow within a world-class sports development team.

Key Responsibilities

• Work independently on focused gameplay design areas, ensuring goals and requirements are clearly defined and met.
  
• Partner with senior designers and leads to translate creative direction into actionable, detailed design tasks.
  
• Generate new gameplay ideas and iterate on existing systems, ensuring alignment with the core NHL player experience.
  
• Create and maintain thorough design documentation that supports scoping, implementation, and cross-team understanding.
  
• Collaborate closely with engineering, animation, and art teams to ensure features are implemented with quality and intent.
  
• Evaluate gameplay features through playtesting and feedback, measuring implementation against the desired player experience.
  
• Identify dependencies and potential impacts across gameplay systems to help ensure cohesive design execution.
  
• Contribute to building and refining core hockey mechanics that enhance authenticity, responsiveness, and player agency.
  
• Drive your assigned design areas through completion, following established design processes and milestones.
  
• Seek guidance and feedback from creative leadership to ensure designs align with franchise vision and gameplay philosophy.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Strong understanding of core gameplay design principles, player experience, and balancing mechanics.
  
• Ability to translate high-level design goals into detailed, actionable tasks.
  
• Excellent collaboration skills with a proven ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
  
• Clear and concise communication, both written and verbal, with a focus on documentation clarity.
  
• Demonstrated ability to analyze gameplay and identify opportunities for improvement.
  
• Familiarity with game development tools, pipelines, and iterative design workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in game design, ideally in gameplay or systems design.
  
• Deep passion for hockey and a strong understanding of its rules, flow, and nuances.
  
• Experience with sports or simulation games, particularly those emphasizing player control and realism.
  
• Familiarity with EA’s Frostbite Engine or equivalent game development tools is an asset.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs). 

PAY RANGES

In British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.