Mid - Senior Level Designer - VR Shooter Game - Melbourne

Digital Lode Immersive Media

Games Developer from Australia, Victoria

- Project: Eye-tracked Action VR shooter
- Role: Full-time (9-month fixed-term contract with potential for extension)
- Experience Level: Mid-Senior
- Start Date: October 2026
- Office Location: Hybrid - based in Footscray, Melbourne (VIC) or Remote.
- Core Gameplay: Action Sniper experience inspired by “Silent Scope”, “Time Crisis”, “Pure Sniper”.
- Note: this job is open to applicants who are based within Australia.

About the studio

Founded in 2017 and located in Footscray, Victoria, LODE is passionate about immersive Media. We’re the studio behind the stealth-action ‘Espire’ IP. Since 2019, we’ve shipped three Espire titles across all major XR platforms. Our mission is to be at the forefront of immersive technology, crafting never-before-seen mechanics that entertain players in unforgettable worlds.

We’re currently closing out pre-production on our third, original IP codenamed “EyeSpy.” It is an action shooter game that features a novel XR input paradigm designed for the next generation of devices, with sights set on bringing the experience to traditional consoles, too.

Position Overview

We’re looking for a creative Level Designer to join our small, agile team for our latest project, codenamed ‘EyeSpy’. In this role, you will be responsible for crafting immersive, engaging environments that drive the player experience and taking levels from greyboxes all the way to final polish. You will collaborate closely with artists, programmers,



and designers in Unreal Engine 5 to shape how players move through our worlds, set the pace, and script the key moments that make gameplay click with plenty of creative freedom to focus on spatial design and balance.

Key Responsibilities

Level Assembly & Composition

- Drive level creation from high-level concepts through a structured 4-pass system, Greybox -> Final.
- Design, organize, and maintain levels using Unreal Engine's classic level streaming system - the project does not use World Partition.
- Build environments with modular asset kits, carefully matching snapping units and increments to build out seamless, large-scale environments.
- Perform light workplace art and scene assembly, bringing environments to life using our modular asset library (no 3D modeling required).
- Iterate on overall level composition, item placement, scale, and enemy sightlines to align with the visual direction.
- Work with our existing tools for parametric level design and augment our process with your own LD workflows.

Encounter & Gameplay Design

- Design and iterate on enemy encounters, enemy placements and squad compositions using our suite of encounter types, enemy archetypes, and weapons.
- Work closely with the Game Director, Game Designer, and AI Programmer to build out mission archetypes and gameplay flow.




- Continuously playtest and iterate on levels to refine pacing, difficulty, and combat balance.
- Ensure every level feels distinct and effectively champions its hero archetypes.

Optimization & Performance

- Design levels with the performance constraints of Standalone VR Hardware / Mobile devices in mind.
- Assist the optimization team using internal tools and workflows to meet strict mobile VR constraints.
- Use in-house tooling to convert meshes to Instanced Static Meshes (ISM) and Hierarchical Instanced Static Meshes (HISM) clusters.
- Work with Simplygon middleware to optimize level geometry and draw calls. Training will be provided on the job as required.

Level Scripting & World Mapping

- Design out individual missions on the 3D overworld map and define branching player paths.
- Collaborate with the Game Director, Narrative Designer, and Game Designer to map out the overall overworld player journey.

Retention & Systems Passes

- Perform retention passes across all levels by placing hidden collectibles and other metagame level mechanics.
- Set, review, and iterate on level gameplay metrics, including par scores and time targets.

Position Requirements

- Relevant Portfolio: A strong portfolio demonstrating structural level design skills, action / shooter gameplay, and layout mockups specifically for games.
- Design fundamentals : Strong understanding of game design principles, including flow, pacing, and difficulty balance.
- Engine Proficiency: Strong proficiency with the Unreal Engine editor for level creation.
- Technical Constrain

📌 Digital Lode Immersive Media Games Developer from Australia, Victoria (Melbourne)
🏢 Tsumea
📍 Melbourne