Jacob Shuman

Gameplay/Systems/Technical/LiveOps Designer (Senior/Principal)

United States

About

With over a decade of experience in game design, I specialize in crafting innovative systems and mechanics for engaging gameplay. At Koin Games, I collaborated with cross-functional teams to analyze competitive CCG markets, conceptualize systems, and oversee meta-progression design. My mission is to create immersive player experiences that align with organizational vision and values, while fostering collaboration and inclusivity within diverse teams. At Koin Games, I led the development of core systems and features, from concept to implementation. This included deconstructing market trends, validating gameplay vision alongside leadership, and maintaining comprehensive documentation. These efforts empowered the team to deliver polished, player-focused experiences in competitive gaming genres.

Experience

  • (Founder) Lead Game Developer at Sas & Sons Game Studio Inc.
    Feb 2026 - Present · 5 mos

    Building a Fantasy Co-op roguelite RPG

  • Principal Systems Designer at Koin Games
    Mar 2023 - May 2025 · 2 yrs 3 mos

    -Designed and iterated on scalable meta-progression systems aligned to studio vision and product strategy -Authored and maintained system documentation covering economies, progression loops, and feature frameworks -Partnered with Product Owners and Design Leadership to validate system health and business performance -Built progression models and reward structures to support retention and monetization goals -Analyzed competitive titles and market systems to inform feature design and economy structure -Mentored junior designers on systems thinking, documentation, and implementation workflows

  • Principal Systems Designer at Kongregate
    Aug 2022 - Jan 2023 · 6 mos

    Balanced & Tuned economies Design new game mechanics & features for new games

  • Senior Game Designer at Imangi Studios
    Aug 2021 - Jun 2022 · 11 mos

    -Acted as a lead designer across several teams rapidly prototyping new features and gameplay experiences to ensure game quality matched vision set by leadership -Wrote and managed all documents pertaining to designs on the core gameplay -Mentored a junior designer for both Level Design and Game Design tasks -Lead features and gameplay experiences from concept to implementation -Worked directly with Art & Engineering to rapidly iterate on game features/mechanics

  • Senior Game Designer at Vivid Games
    Feb 2021 - Aug 2021 · 7 mos

    Lead the design of new features for 2 mid-core mobile games Designed PvP systems for mid-core card game + mid-core real time fighting game Worked with data analysts to design relevant a/b tests