Systems Designer - Overwatch | Irvine, CA

Team Name:

Overwatch

Job Title:

Systems Designer - Overwatch | Irvine, CA

Requisition Id:

R026125

Job Description:

Designing the Future of Game Systems for Overwatch 2!

At Blizzard Entertainment, we’re dedicated to building teams that are collaborative, innovative, and united by a shared passion for creating outstanding games.

The Overwatch 2 team is seeking a talented mid-level Systems Designer who’s excited to help shape the competitive landscape, design compelling meta systems, and craft memorable player experiences that inspire players to keep coming back. If you thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, love working with diverse disciplines, and are passionate about first-person shooters and the evolving world of live, competitive systems, we invite you to join us and make a lasting impact on Overwatch 2.

As a mid-level Systems Designer on the Overwatch 2 team, you will directly support two Senior Systems Designers: one focused on core gameplay and competitive play, and the other working on Rewards and Metasystems features. In this highly collaborative role, you’ll work to balance and improve our core gameplay systems, develop new features, and help design and refine the varied metasystems that tie the experience together.  Along with a strong technical skillset, our systems designers leverage robust creative principles and design fundamentals to shape the player experience, support our business objectives, and act as a nexus for many cross-disciplinary teams working on critical systems and features.

Our ideal candidate is a passionate game designer with a love for translating sophisticated game systems into meaningful player experiences, is deeply familiar with Overwatch gameplay and its heroes, and understands the landscape of live, free-to-play games. You’ll partner with designers, engineers, artists, and production in a studio where every voice matters and teamwork is the key to success.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist the Versus and Competitive Play Senior Designer with tuning, balancing, and evolving competitive rule sets, matchmaking, and progression structures.
• Support the Rewards and Features Senior Designer in developing, implementing, and iterating on reward systems, seasonal content, live event features, and player engagement strategies.
• Assist with the design, specifications, and development of core gameplay and metasystems features alongside senior designers, ensuring quality and alignment with the team’s needs and goals.
• Take on scripting duties for core gameplay and system features, delivering robust, clean, and tested implementations that align with the team’s methodologies.
• Regularly tune systems based on data, playtest feedback, and evolving product goals; work hand-in-hand with analytics to understand player behavior and system health.
• Prepare detailed design specifications for features and collaborate with UI/UX teams to deliver best-in-class game experiences.
• Participate in feature pitches, design reviews, and post-launch evaluations, always advocating for quality, player experience, and long-term sustainability.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in systems or technical design roles, ideally on a multiplayer title.
• Demonstrated experience with metasystems and gameplay systems design and tuning, as well as tuning and improving those systems through testing, feedback, and game data.
• Professional game experience with game toolsets, common scripting languages, and visual scripting. (e.g., Lua, Python, Blueprint, or similar).
• General tech design experience and hands-on implementation of content and data
• Feature design experience in both gameplay and metasystem features.  
• Hands-on experience with competitive first-person shooters, with a clear understanding of the competitive mindsets and dynamics unique to the genre.
• Well-versed in Overwatch Heroes, gameplay systems, and live service content cadence.
• Excellent communication skills; able to express design goals, rationale, and feedback in a clear, collaborative way.

Bonus Points:

• Experience designing free-to-play or shooter titles; you know what keeps players coming back and how to balance engagement, progression, and monetization ethically.
• Experience owning and improving live game systems and features; evaluating player feedback, game data and balancing against the team’s goals.
• Deep understanding of shooter gameplay—competitive and casual—across both PC and console ecosystems.
• Familiarity with free-to-play games and live service models; you understand the rhythms and demands of seasonal content, events, and ongoing player engagement.
• Prior work experience or education in other (non-design) disciplines such as art, programming, production, or sound is a plus—collaboration and interdisciplinary fluency are keys to success.
• Familiarity with Overwatch 2’s meta, events, and player community.
• Previous involvement in tuning game economies, in-game currencies, or live operations.
• Experience balancing complex systems in response to analytics, live feedback, and evolving player expectations.

What We’Re Looking For

• A systems thinker: you love dissecting and optimizing complex game systems and thrive on understanding how all the pieces fit together to create compelling player experiences.
• Player-focused: you’re passionate about delivering meaningful rewards, fair progression, and competitive depth.
• Adaptable and collaborative: you enjoy working with passionate creatives from all disciplines, and you’re comfortable shifting gears as priorities evolve.
• Technically proficient: You can script, tune, and troubleshoot gameplay and meta systems in a live environment with minimal oversight.
• Driven by challenge: you see working on one of the world’s biggest shooters—and supporting two distinct senior designers—as an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a real impact.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. 

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences. 

We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.  

We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.  

Ready to Activate Your Future?  

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners. 

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply. 

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $29.81 - $55.14 Hourly. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.