Lead Combat Designer

Intrepid Studios is looking for a passionate, experienced, and talented Lead Combat Designer interested in creating brand new worlds with our new IP, Ashes of Creation. Our Lead Combat Designer would be a person who loves Massively Multiplayer combat, whether that combat is player-vs-player or player-vs-environment. They have a deep understanding of how to communicate artfully the feel and flow of combat to players. They have a mastery of third-person action combat as well as the more traditional MMO combat modes. They must work well with others, enjoy collaboration, and be comfortable receiving, acting on, and supplying constructively critical feedback. Most importantly, they must live and breathe MMOs.

Responsibilities:

• Define and drive the vision for combat in Ashes of Creation, ensuring a cohesive and engaging experience that aligns with the overall game direction.
• Lead and mentor a team of combat designers, providing guidance, feedback, and support to foster their growth and development.
• Oversee the design and implementation of combat systems for both players and NPCs, ensuring a fun, balanced, and rewarding experience.
• Collaborate closely with the 3Cs team (Character, Controls, and Camera) to ensure that combat feels responsive, intuitive, and satisfying.
• Work closely with the World Population team to design engaging encounters and challenges that integrate seamlessly with the open world.
• Analyze player feedback and data to identify areas for improvement and balance within the combat systems.
• Create and maintain comprehensive design documentation to guide development and facilitate communication across teams.
• Drive innovation in combat design, exploring new ideas and approaches to create a unique and memorable combat experience for Ashes of Creation.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in the game industry as a game designer, with significant experience in combat design.
• Experience in leading and mentoring a team.
• Deep understanding of combat design principles in MMORPGs, including class design, encounter design, and combat balance.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Passion for MMORPGs and a strong understanding of the genre's combat design challenges and opportunities.

Desired Expertise:

• Familiarity with player progression systems, including class trees, weapon trees, equipment, character stats, and other relevant systems.
• Experience with modern combat balancing tools and techniques, including combat simulations.
• Experience working with Unreal Engine 5.

Required Application Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter which should include:
  • Why you are interested in working at Intrepid
  • Share about the game you are currently playing and what you like about it

Interview Overview:

Below you'll find an outline of the interview plan for this role. Please note that while this is what we expect the process to look like; we may ask you for supplemental information or require an additional step before making a final decision.

• 30 min interview with a member of our Talent Team
• Combat Design Test
• 60 min interview with the Hiring Manager and Team
• Final interview with the executive team
• References calls & a background check

The Legal Bits:

We offer competitive pay based on market standards plus a significant annual bonus structure. The base salary for this role is between $100,000 - $160,000, depending on skills and experience. Individual compensation decisions are based on a number of factors, including experience level, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company. We expect the majority of the candidates who are offered roles at our company to fall throughout the range based on these factors.

Job descriptions are not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that may be required of the employee.

We encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, to apply for positions. We are an equal opportunity employer and we're committed to a fair and consistent interview process and employer experience.

About Us:

Founded in 2015, Intrepid Studios is the independent developer and publisher of the upcoming and Most Anticipated MMORPG, Ashes of Creation. Based in beautiful Southern California, Intrepid has assembled a veteran AAA team of tremendous talent and experience in the MMORPG industry. The gaming industry can be a turbulent storm of hiring cycles and layoffs. We’ve set out to do something different, to break this cycle and create an independent studio capable of withstanding the chaos of this industry. We’ve brought on-board a team of professionals that hold a diverse set of skills, and who all share a singular goal: making fun games. The studio is designed to be an open place for collaboration and communication, a place that is conducive to team building and success. Our goal is to build a family that will laugh together, play together, succeed together, and stay together.

All posted positions are full-time with generous medical benefit options covered 100% by employer for employees and dependents plus paid vacation & sick days, and 401k with matching.