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Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent studio - behind such games as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and the upcoming Homeworld 3, Minecraft Legends, and Crossfire: Legion.
Founded by Rob Cunningham, Yossarian King, and Aaron Kambeitz in 2010, the award-winning Vancouver studio boast its own internal CG cinematics department, led by the founder of Pixar Canada, and has also been involved in various game-adjacent projects over the years - such as Project Eagle with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and other initiatives with the eatART Foundation and Sanctuary AI. BBI was listed among the fastest growing Canadian companies by revenue in 2020 and 2021 by The Globe and Mail and Deloitte.

https://linktr.ee/BlackbirdInteractive.com

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Video Games

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Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is an independent game development studio based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. With a passion for creating artistic and immersive strategy and adventure games, Blackbird Interactive is committed to delivering unforgettable gaming experiences. Their portfolio of projects includes a wide range of captivating and innovative games that keep players engaged and entertained. Whether it's commanding a fleet in a galactic conquest or embarking on an epic quest in a fantastical world, Blackbird Interactive brings imagination to life through their high-quality games. In addition to their remarkable games, Blackbird Interactive also offers career opportunities for talented individuals who share their love for gaming. With a focus on work-life balance, the studio embraces a four-day workweek, creating a supportive environment that fosters creativity and innovation. Located in the heart of Vancouver, Blackbird Interactive can be found at 400-565 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, BC V5T 0H8. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and Discord to stay up-to-date with their latest projects and news. Discover the extraordinary world of gaming with Blackbird Interactive and experience the thrill of their exceptional games.

Blackbird Interactive

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.

Our studio operates as a remote-first workplace, offering flexible work arrangements.

## Senior Level Designer (5-month contract)

**Location:** Vancouver, BC, Canada  
**Type:** Temporary Full-Time / Remote  
**Compensation:** $115,000 - $149,500 a year

**Overview**

Blackbird Interactive is looking for an experienced Senior Level Designer to help build and deliver high-quality gameplay spaces for a third-person military tactical shooter. This role focuses on designing levels, combat spaces, and environments that promote engaging player interactions, support multiple playstyles, and deliver memorable multiplayer experiences through strong pacing, readability, and spatial design.

You'll work closely with game design, art, engineering, and production to create levels that are fun to play, strategically engaging, and visually compelling. The role involves collaborating with leadership to align content with the overall creative vision while owning levels end-to-end, from initial concept and blockout through implementation, iteration, and polish. If you enjoy crafting dynamic combat spaces, encouraging player choice, and creating highly replayable multiplayer experiences, this role could be a great fit.

### Responsibilities

- Collaborate with game design, art, engineering, and production to implement the established creative vision while identifying risks, dependencies, or inconsistencies as they arise during development

- Design and build levels end-to-end, including layout, combat spaces, traversal, pacing, player flow, and objective placement

- Create and implement tactical combat spaces that support flanking, cover usage, squad coordination, sightlines, and multiple approaches to objectives

- Script and set up gameplay events, encounters, AI behaviors, triggers, and environmental interactions to support mission functionality and player experience

- Test, debug, and iterate on levels regularly, identifying and resolving issues related to navigation, combat balance, player flow, readability, progression, and edge cases

- Maintain an understanding of core gameplay systems and AI behaviors, adjusting layouts and encounters to support tactical gameplay and multiple player approaches

### Requirements

- A minimum of 8 years of experience contributing to game development, with a strong focus on level design within action, shooter, or combat-focused games

- Experience shipping at least one title, ideally within the shooter space, with an understanding of the full content lifecycle from implementation through polish

- Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine 5, with confidence using in-engine level editing tools, Blueprint scripting, and gameplay workflows to build, implement, debug, and iterate on gameplay spaces

- Comfort working independently on assigned content, with the ability to manage tasks, iterate on feedback, and solve implementation challenges in a dynamic production environment

- Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work closely across design, art, engineering, audio, and production to deliver cohesive gameplay experiences

- Strong understanding of combat space design, player navigation, encounter pacing, gameplay readability, and multiplayer level flow

### Preferred Skills

- A passion for military fiction, tactical shooters, and squad-based gameplay

- Appreciation for systemic gameplay and how level design supports multiple tactical approaches and emergent combat scenarios

- An interest in cinematic mission design, including staging, composition, scripted moments, and environmental storytelling

- Care about polish, clarity, and player comprehension, and enjoy iterating on spaces to improve navigation, combat readability, and overall gameplay experience

- Curiosity about how level design, AI, and systems intersect to create cohesive, replayable combat experiences rather than isolated encounters

**Note:** At this time, candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada.

Chief Executive Officer at Blackbird Interactive Inc

Eric Torin

Chief Executive Officer

Blackbird Interactive - Senior Level Designer (5-month contract)

Senior Product Designer

Level Design

Blackbird Interactive is seeking a Senior Level Designer for a 5-month contract to create engaging gameplay spaces for a tactical shooter. The role involves designing levels, collaborating with various teams, and ensuring high-quality player experiences.

Senior Level Designer

Design

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres. Our studio operates as a remote-first workplace, offering flexible work arrangements.

Senior Technical Artist (7-month contract)
------------------------------------------

**Location:** Vancouver, BC, Canada

**Work Arrangement:** Temporary Full-Time, Remote

**Compensation:** $120,000 - $155,000 a year

### Responsibilities

*   Act as a bridge between Art, Engineering, and the game engine, helping teams communicate effectively and solve cross-disciplinary problems
*   Support artists with art-to-engine integration, including asset setup, debugging, and optimization
*   Design, build, and maintain tools, scripts, and workflows that improve artist productivity and content quality
*   Collaborate with artists across animation, modeling, texturing, shaders, VFX, and other real-time content disciplines
*   Identify visual and performance issues and develop high-quality solutions within technical constraints
*   Contribute to the development and maintenance of procedural tools, art pipelines, and production processes
*   Create clear, concise documentation for tools, workflows, and pipelines
*   Take ownership of technical challenges, work with minimal supervision, and proactively identify opportunities for improvement

### Requirements

*   Strong understanding of real-time content development and game art pipelines
*   Technical proficiency in one or more art disciplines (e.g., animation, modeling, texturing, or VFX), with a solid understanding of how they interact within a game engine
*   Professional experience working in Unreal Engine 5
*   Experience with procedural workflows and content creation using tools such as Unreal Engine PCG and Houdini
*   Experience supporting or developing production tools and workflows
*   Experience working with DCC tools such as Maya
*   Programming or scripting experience using C++, C#, Python, or a similar language
*   Understanding of asset management and version control practices
*   Strong problem-solving skills, curiosity, and a collaborative mindset

### Pluses

*   Understanding of shader development and material systems
*   Experience with particle systems and real-time visual effects
*   Familiarity with animation rigs and game animation systems
*   Knowledge of performance profiling and optimization for real-time content
*   Experience with Perforce (P4V)
*   Strong interest in video game culture, art, and design

**Note:** At this time, candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada.

Blackbird Interactive - Senior Technical Artist (7-month contract)

Artist

Blackbird Interactive is seeking a Contract Senior Technical Artist for a 7-month remote position based in Canada. The role involves bridging art and engineering, supporting artists with integration, and developing tools and workflows. Candidates must reside in Canada.

Blackbird Interactive

Jobs

Senior Technical Artist

Past roles

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