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 and a people-first approach to studio culture. The team includes veteran developers from titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles and Legend of Mana.
Senior Game Designer - Contract
Position Summary
A 6-month full-time fixed-term contract position (with potential for extension or transition to full-time) focusing on iterating systems for the 2.5D JRPG, Threads of Time.
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 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 of the experience.
- 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
- At least 5+ years of experience in the games industry working as a combat/systems designer, shipping at least one title.
- Passion for JRPGs.
- Proficient 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 package: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Employee & Family Assistance program.
Working Conditions
- Full-time remote position.
- Applicants must reside in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia.
Sound Designer - Contract
Position Summary
A 6-month full-time fixed-term contract position (with potential for extension or transition to full-time) responsible for designing, implementing, and polishing gameplay audio for combat, environments, UI, cinematics, and other gameplay systems.
Responsibilities
- Design, edit, and implement high-quality sound effects.
- Implement and iterate interactive audio in Unreal Engine using Blueprints and FMOD Studio.
- Collaborate with design, engineering, animation, VFX, production, and QA.
- Adapt quickly to changing project priorities, feedback, and cross-discipline dependencies.
- Tune and polish gameplay audio based on playtesting and designer iteration.
- Provide audio support for cinematics and marketing assets.
- Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve audio implementation bugs.
- Maintain organized audio assets, workflows, documentation, and standards.
- Stay current with game audio techniques and emerging technologies.
Requirements
- 3+ years, or equivalent experience as a Sound Designer in the video game industry.
- Shipped at least one commercial title.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality gameplay sound design (combat and interactive systems).
- Proficiency with Reaper or comparable DAW and restoration, synthesis, and mixing tools (e.g., Izotope, Fabfilter, BOOM, Tonsturm).
- Intermediate proficiency with Unreal Engine Blueprint scripting.
- Experience with FMOD Studio or Audiokinetic Wwise (expectation to 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.
- Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing production priorities.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.
- Self-motivated and able 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 package: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Employee & Family Assistance program.
Working Conditions
- Full-time remote position.
- Applicants must reside in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia, or be willing to relocate.
Technical Narrative Designer - Contract
Position Summary
A 6-month full-time fixed-term contract position (with potential for extension or transition to full-time) focusing on writing and implementing encounters across 5 different eras for the game, Threads of Time.
Responsibilities
- Create Overworld content: NPC encounters, side stories, and found details (letters, signs, ruins).
- Collaborate with the narrative team to develop lore, writing, and sidequest outlines.
- Implement work in-engine (dialogue scripting, triggers, event flags, cutscene staging).
- Own 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 regarding technical implementation.
- Monitor progress to meet project milestones.
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Minimum of 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 package: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Employee & Family Assistance program.
Working Conditions
- Full-time remote position.
- Applicants must reside in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia, or be willing to relocate.
Diversity and Inclusion
Riyo Games values contributions regardless of gender identity/expression, sexual attraction, age, culture, abilities, ethnic origin, marital status, nationality, race, religion, education, or socioeconomic status. The studio does not accept and will take action against discrimination based on the Ontario Human Rights Code. The studio encourages applicants who do not meet every qualification to apply. Accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities upon request.