About the role
About Riyo Games
Riyo Games is a studio crafting retro-infused JRPGs. The team operates fully remotely with a no crunch policy, prioritizing a healthy work-life balance. They follow the Platinum Rule: treat others as they want to be treated based on their unique background. The studio is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and does not use AI to screen, assess, or select applicants.
Senior Game Designer - Contract
Position Summary:
6-month full-time fixed-term contract (possibility of extension or transition to regular full-time). Focus on designing and iterating systems for Threads of Time, specifically combat and progression.
Responsibilities:
- Own designs through every phase of development from concept to finish, using feedback and testing to refine them.
- Work in-engine to iterate, debug, and polish heroes, enemies, and boss fights.
- Hold and communicate the vision for your work to collaborators in other departments.
- Collaborate with art, code, audio, animation, and visual effects to deliver memorable combat encounters.
- Research retro and modern JRPG design conventions to ensure authenticity.
- Work with the GAS in Unreal Engine 5 to implement and tune combat abilities.
- Standardize, document, and communicate designs to the team.
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
- 5+ years of experience in the games industry as a combat/systems designer, having shipped at least one title.
- A passion for JRPGs.
- Proficiency in Unreal Engine’s Gameplay Ability System (GAS).
- Proactive, with a strong sense of ownership.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Familiarity and proficiency with scripting.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Organized and able to write concise documentation.
- Self-motivated, with the ability to prioritize and deliver quality work within deadlines.
- Ability to recognize player fantasy and turn that into compelling gameplay mechanics.
Pluses:
- Resident of Ontario or Quebec, Canada.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Salary: $80,000 - $120,000 CAD.
- 4 weeks paid vacation (1 week taken in late December).
- Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Employee & Family Assistance program.
Location Requirements:
- Fixed-term remote position; applicants must reside in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia.
Sound Designer - Contract
Position Summary:
6-month full-time fixed-term contract (possibility of extension or transition to regular full-time). Responsible for designing, implementing, and polishing high-quality gameplay audio for combat, environments, UI, cinematics, and other gameplay systems.
Responsibilities:
- Design, edit, and implement high-quality sound effects for combat, gameplay systems, environments, UI, and other gameplay events.
- Implement and iterate interactive audio in Unreal Engine using Blueprints and FMOD Studio.
- Collaborate closely with design, engineering, animation, VFX, production, and QA.
- Adapt to changing project priorities, gameplay updates, and production feedback.
- Tune and polish gameplay audio based on playtesting, player feedback, and designer iteration.
- Provide audio support for cinematics and marketing assets, including recording, editing, and processing sound effects, Foley, and voice assets.
- Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve audio implementation bugs.
- Maintain organized audio assets, implementation workflows, documentation, and audio standards.
- Stay current with game audio techniques, workflows, and emerging technologies.
Requirements:
- 3+ years, or equivalent demonstrated experience as a Sound Designer in the video game industry.
- Shipped at least one commercial title as a Sound Designer or Technical Sound Designer.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality gameplay sound design, particularly combat and interactive systems.
- Proficiency with Reaper or a comparable DAW and creative sound-design, restoration, synthesis, and mixing tools.
- Intermediate proficiency with Unreal Engine Blueprint scripting.
- Experience with FMOD Studio or Audiokinetic Wwise (expectation to quickly ramp up in FMOD Studio).
- Experience designing responsive gameplay audio for combat, player abilities, UI, and environmental systems.
- Strong understanding of interactive audio systems and mixing.
- Ability to adapt to changing production priorities and respond to feedback quickly.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.
- Self-motivated with an ability to manage multiple priorities.
Pluses:
- Passion for JRPGs and narrative-driven games.
- Passion for creating stylized, anime-inspired sound effects.
- Experience using Jira, Perforce, and collaborative development workflows.
- Experience building and maintaining a personal sound effects library.
- Resident of Ontario or Quebec, Canada, or willing to move.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Salary: $65,000 - $85,000 CAD.
- 4 weeks paid vacation (1 week taken in late December).
- Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Employee & Family Assistance program.
Location Requirements:
- Full-time remote; applicants must reside in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia, or be willing to relocate.
Technical Narrative Designer - Contract
Position Summary:
6-month full-time fixed-term contract (possibility of extension or transition to regular full-time). Responsible for writing and designing encounters for the game's Overworlds across 5 different eras and implementing them in-engine.
Responsibilities:
- Create Overworld content: NPC encounters, side stories, and world-building details (letters, signs, ruins).
- Collaborate with the narrative team to develop lore, writing, and sidequest outlines.
- Implement work in-engine, including dialogue scripting, triggers, event flags, and cutscene staging.
- Own the world-state logic for Overworld activities and time ripples.
- Collaborate with level design, art, and audio.
- Playtest content and iterate based on feedback.
- Improve narrative tools and pipelines.
- Write from a variety of voices and perspectives.
- Communicate with engineers to ensure seamless technical implementation.
- Collaborate with production to meet project milestones.
Requirements:
- Minimum 5 years of professional game writing and design experience, shipping at least one title.
- Love and understanding of JRPGs.
- Comfortable working in-engine and implementing content in UE5 or similar.
- Proactive with a strong sense of ownership.
- Strong communication, listening, and interpersonal skills.
Pluses:
- Resident of Ontario or Quebec, Canada.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Salary: $60,000 - $100,000 CAD.
- 4 weeks paid vacation (1 week taken in late December).
- Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Employee & Family Assistance program.
Location Requirements:
- Full-time remote; applicants must reside in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia, or be willing to relocate.