Game Designer - Part-Time

About Us

Arcade Online is a live platform where players enjoy a growing catalogue of original digital games designed exclusively for the platform, alongside the ability to remotely control real arcade machines.

Our games blend traditional arcade sensibility with modern live-service design, built around events, progression, challenges and real-world rewards.

The Role

We're looking for a Game Designer to own the design of our original titles.

This is a hands-on role that takes games from early concept through prototyping, iteration, balancing, and launch. Working closely with a small team of developers, this role is about finding the fun while establishing the rules, mechanisms and economies that make arcade games highly accessible, juicy, and replayable.

Our games include a ticket economy - just like a physical arcade, players earn tickets with real-world value based on gameplay outcomes. You won't be expected to arrive knowing this space, but you should be comfortable designing and balancing reward systems, in-game economies and progression loops.

What You'll Do

• Design original digital arcade games from concept through to launch
• Prototype and iterate gameplay mechanics with a focus on engagement, accessibility andreplayability within the Unity game engine
• Balanced difficulty, progression, reward timing and ticket payout through rigoroustesting and analysis
• Design scoring models, bonus mechanics and progression systems
• Produce clear design documentation, specifications and economy spreadsheets
• Playtest extensively - identify what's working, what isn't, and drive iteration untilit's right
• Analyse player behaviour and game performance post-launch to inform future improvements
• Develop original game concepts and, over time, take ownership of creative direction fornew titles
• Support the design of proprietary electromechanical arcade games where relevant

What We're Looking For

• Commercial game design experience, ideally in mobile, casual, arcade or live-service games
• A strong instinct for what makes gameplay satisfying, accessible and highly replayable
• Experienced in designing and balancing gameplay systems
• Strong analytical skills; comfortable tuning mechanics using data and structured testing rather than instinct alone
• Experience working closely with software engineers throughout a development cycle
• Able to iterate rapidly, make decisions under uncertainty, and hold a high bar for polish
• Clearcommunicator - able to document design decisions and specs that a small team can execute against
• Hands-on with game engines (Unity preferred) - you don't need to write code, but you're not afraid to get into the tools

Nice to have

• Live-service or free-to-play mobile games
• In-game economies or virtual reward systems
• Rapid prototyping experience

What Success Looks Like

After your first 12 months, you'll have:

• Shipped multiple original Arcade Online titles
• Taken ownership of gameplay balancing across the digital portfolio
• Established design processes that increase development velocity
• Become the go-to for new gameplay mechanics and original game concepts
• Contributed to games with high engagement, repeat play and commercial performance

Why Join Us

This is a chance to design games in a category that doesn’t really exist anywhere else - where arcade mechanics,live-service design and real-world prizes combine into something genuinely novel.

You'll work in a small, highly collaborative team where your decisions have a direct and visible impact on the product.