Creative Director

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Halo Studios is the developer of the blockbuster Halo series of video games. As part of Xbox Game Studios, the Halo franchise encompasses games, television series, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. We are looking for new Spartans to join our team to build the next generation of games and experiences in our award-winning sci-fi universe. Do you understand modern console/PC games and have experience with live service games? Do you closely collaborate with teams to drive inspiring, cohesive gameplay experiences? Are you interested in Halo and want to preserve what makes it unique—while brimming with ideas to evolve an experience that millions of players love? If so, the Halo team would love to speak with you about becoming our next Creative Director!

We are looking for a talented Creative Director to help articulate and bring to life the creative vision for one of our in-development titles. Reporting to our Head of Studio, this role will ground our internal and external teams with clear, compelling goals for our gameplay experience. This includes product vision, overall tone and feel, story and world creation, product differentiators, and high-level gameplay experiences. In close partnership with our art, design, and franchise leaders, you will be responsible for developing and communicating how we create and execute memorable worlds, characters, and stories at a high level of quality and fidelity across our game. You will also collaborate with internal and external partner teams to create a center of excellence for multiplayer experiences. Roles at our studio are flexible, and you can work from home up to two days a week in this role.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• • Associate's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Writing, Behavioral Science, Game Design, or related field AND 8+ years experience in game development and design, systems design, content production, or related field
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Writing, Behavioral Science, Data Science, Game Design, or related field AND 6+ years experience in game development and design, systems design, content production, or related field
  • OR equivalent experience.
  • Have shipped at least 2 title released to consumers/shipped game.
  • 5+ years people management experience.

Other Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements is required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Writing, Behavioral Science, Data Science, Game Design, or related field AND 14+ years’ experience in game development and design, systems design, content production, or related field
• OR equivalent experience.
• Have shipped at least 3 titles including 1 Live Service Game released to consumers.
• 7+ years people management experience.
• Shipped multiple, high-quality games as a Creative Director, Design Director, Art Director, or equivalent creative leadership role.
• Superb communication skills with a track record of aligning large teams around a shared product vision.
• Experience working across large design, art, or other creative teams, ideally with deep knowledge of agile production methods.
• Experience working with Unreal Engine tools.

Game Design M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $137,600 - $286,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $180,400 - $314,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until May 20, 2025.

#gamingjobs #halo

Responsibilities

• Lead an "in-development" project to launch, working with art, audio, design, engineering, production, and franchise leadership to develop the settings, characters, themes, and world that will bring to life the magic of the Halo universe.
• Collaborate with the creative leads, executive producers, and co-dev partners to develop a shared vision around core player fantasies for the title and how we will deliver against them.
• Identify areas of opportunity and industry innovation that focus on player needs.
• Develop compelling visual materials for gameplay pillars, creative/brand philosophies, and core gameplay loops that are comprehensive, concise, and inspirational.
• Collaborate with cinematic and audio directors with an eye towards creating memorable worlds, characters, and stories.
• Establish and maintain a regular review cadence with Art, Design, and Franchise leads to align on creative direction and goals.
• Be a consistent source of clarity, positive energy, and inspiration for the studio development teams.