Games Researcher, Amazon Games

Amazon.com Inc

Seattle, WA

JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
Alliance/Partner Marketing, Autoscaling, Benchmarking, Cloud Computing, Comparative Analysis, Continuous Improvement, Customer Relations, Customer/Client Research, Financial Control, Game Design, Games Programming, Gaming, Gaming Equipment, IP (Internet Protocol), Onboarding, Product Design, Product Development, Prototyping, Research Skills, Smartphones, Sourcing Strategy, Technical Leadership, Test Patterns, Test Plan/Schedule, Touchscreens, Usability Testing, Vendor/Supplier Evaluation, Web Browsers
LOCATION
Seattle, WA
POSTED
7 days ago

Amazon Games is looking for a Games Researcher to help us build exciting new mass market games with a multiplayer component. This role sits at the intersection of player insights, playtesting, and product development - and will work directly with designers, producers and technical leads to build great games that are fun and engaging for players of all experience levels. We think big and work with some of the biggest and most beloved global IP licenses. We are customer-obsessed and build our games with a focus on innovation and quality to nurture long-term relationships with our global customers and partners.

The opportunity to shape how millions of players engage with games on Luna is significant-but it also requires navigating new territory. You should be comfortable operating in a space with high ambiguity, where speed, judgment, and a strong player instinct are as important as methodological rigor. In this role, you'll lead thinking on how to best understand and represent the player-designing and running gameplay tests, identifying patterns in player behavior, and translating those into clear, actionable insights. You'll also help define how and when we scale testing, partnering with external vendors to support larger titles while maintaining a high bar for quality and consistency.

Key job responsibilities

  • Design and execute gameplay user research tests across development stages in partnership with gamedesigners-from early prototypes through pre-launch validation-using both lightweight, rapid playtests and more structured approaches to evaluate onboarding, controls, difficulty, and engagement loops.
  • Conduct comparative gameplay assessments across third-party titles and platforms to benchmark player experience and identify opportunities for differentiation.
  • Act as a connector between game experience and business goals-helping define target players, test objectives, success criteria, and participant sourcing strategies aligned to product and content priorities.
  • Apply a range of research and playtesting methods (e.g., usability testing, interviews, surveys, concept testing, closed and open playtests) and adapt level of rigor to the stage and scale of development.
  • Identify patterns in player behavior and feedback, and translate them into clear, actionable insights that inform product, design, and content decisions.
  • Partner with third-party playtesting and research vendors for larger-scale studies; define scope and ensure quality and consistency of outputs across internal and external testing.
  • Work closely with game developers, product managers, and business teams to influence game design and iteration decisions through player-centric insights.
  • Continuously improve and scale playtesting approaches to increase speed, efficiency, and impact.

About the team

Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming service that makes it easy for anyone to play high-quality games on the devices they already own-including Fire TV and tablet devices, smartphones, tablets, web browsers, select smart televisions from LG and Samsung, and more--with no need to purchase new gaming consoles or equipment. Luna brings more than 50 games to Prime members at no additional cost, including GameNight, an evolving collection of more than 25 approachable, local multiplayer games designed to bring friends and family together in the living room. To play GameNight titles, simply scan a QR code on your TV and your smartphone becomes your controller. With simple and responsive touchscreen inputs and support for multiple local players, GameNight offers and easy and approachable way to play whether you're an experienced gamer of a casual fan.

About the Company

A

Amazon.com Inc

At Amazon, we don’t wait for the next big idea to present itself. We envision the shape of impossible things and then we boldly make them reality. So far, this mindset has helped us achieve some incredible things. Let’s build new systems, challenge the status quo, and design the world we want to live in. We believe the work you do here will be the best work of your life.

Wherever you are in your career exploration, Amazon likely has an opportunity for you. Our research scientists and engineers shape the future of natural language understanding with Alexa. Fulfillment center associates around the globe send customer orders from our warehouses to doorsteps. Product managers set feature requirements, strategy, and marketing messages for brand new customer experiences. And as we grow, we’ll add jobs that haven’t been invented yet.

It’s Always Day 1
At Amazon, it’s always “Day 1.” Now, what does this mean and why does it matter? It means that our approach remains the same as it was on Amazon’s very first day – to make smart, fast decisions, stay nimble, invent, and stay focused on delighting our customers. In our 2016 shareholder letter, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared his thoughts on how to keep up a Day 1 company mindset. “Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, accept failures, plant seeds, protect saplings, and double down when you see customer delight,” he wrote. “A customer-obsessed culture best creates the conditions where all of that can happen.” You can read the full letter here

Our Leadership Principles
Our Leadership Principles help us keep a Day 1 mentality. They aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. To read through our Leadership Principles from Customer Obsession to Bias for Action, visit https://www.amazon.jobs/principles
COMPANY SIZE
10,000 employees or more
INDUSTRY
Retail
FOUNDED
1994
WEBSITE
http://Amazon.com/militaryroles