Electronic Arts

Job Title: Systems Designer, New Player Experience (Apex Legends)

Location: Los Angeles CA, Vancouver BC, Madison WI

Work Model: Hybrid

Respawn Entertainment

Founded in 2010, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they’ll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. Respawn Entertainment is the Academy Award-winning studio behind Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Star Wars™ Jedi titles. Join us to help shape the future of one of the world’s leading live service franchises.

Respawn Entertainment is seeking an experienced Systems Designer to define and evolve the first-time user experience (FTUE) for Apex Legends. In this role, you will shape how new players enter, learn, and fall in love with the Apex Games — crafting onboarding flows, tutorials, pacing, and early progression systems that set up players for long-term engagement and success. You will report to the Senior Systems Director and collaborate with cross-disciplinary partners to ensure a world-class introduction for new players within our live service ecosystem.

As a Systems Designer focusing on the First Time User Experience (FTUE), you will lead the conception, design, tuning, and iteration of onboarding and early journey systems that welcome players into Apex Legends. You will partner with product, UX, UI, analytics, and live operations teams to craft learning moments that feel intuitive, rewarding, and aligned with the game’s competitive expression. You will balance education with excitement to help players quickly feel confident and connected to the Apex Games experience.

Responsibilities 

• Own the design and iteration of onboarding and first-time user experience systems, guiding players from first session to core engagement

• Help define and evolve post-FTUE player development systems that support the journey from onboarding to competitive mastery

• Design systems that introduce and educate players on new features, modes, and content as they come online

• Partner with cross-functional teams to build intuitive, scalable flows that teach, motivate, and retain new players

• Use player data, research, and live insights to identify friction points and continuously improve the early player journey

• Communicate design goals and advocate for accessible, player-first experiences that set up long-term success

Qualifications 

• 3+ years of systems design experience on live service games with significant work on onboarding, tutorials, or core progression flows

• Deep understanding of player psychology, motivation, learning curves, and how to design onboarding that scales across diverse player types

• Demonstrated ability to leverage analytics and playtesting data to refine and tune complex systems

• Experience working closely with UX/UI disciplines to deliver polished experiences

• Strong documentation, communication, and collaboration skills

• Passion for Apex Legends and live service games with a keen sense of how onboarding shapes retention

• Experience designing onboarding or FTUE for competitive multiplayer or battle-royale games

• Familiarity with live service engagement loops and retention mechanics

• Experience running live A/B tests and iterating based on player data

• Experience with scripting, data tools, or technical implementation to support prototyping and iteration of onboarding systems