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The PlayStation brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.
Title: Senior Game Designer - Combat
What you will do:
- Pitch, design, implement, and own enemy NPC archetypes.
- Work with AI programmers to develop foundational NPC technology and implementing and tuning enemy AI behaviors.
- Work with animators to develop enemy locomotion and traversal, melee moves, ambient behaviors, and other custom abilities. Make every enemy archetype feel unique and memorable.
- Collaborate with the Design team to conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systems
- Communicate with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the enemies you’re owning
- Write and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypes
- Drive communication and collaboration for enemies you design and the levels they are in, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlines
- Effective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departments
- Facilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based on player experiences.
- Mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design team.
What skills you will use:
- 5+ years of industry experience in combat design and/or technical design for games, specifically focused on developing action-adventure or shooter games.
- At least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role.
- Experience with behavior trees or similar NPC AI concepts preferred.
- Strong coding ability: Computer Science degree preferred though not required
- Proficient in using game engines and tools (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) for combat implementation and design scripting (C#, Lua, Visual Scripting)
- Welcomes feedback on their work and embraces the “let’s try it” mentality.
- Proficient and effective communication skills, including diagramming and sketching.
- Fluent in modern character action-adventure and shooter combat games. Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trends
- Knowledge of narrative structure and how it intersects with gameplay and combat.
- A keen eye for detail in character action games, able to tune gameplay systems to make them feel smooth and impactful
- Strong leadership and mentoring skills.
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At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.
Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package. Click here to learn more.
The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.
$145,100—$181,400 USD
Equal Opportunity Statement:
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
PlayStation is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.
Top Skills
What We Do
PlayStation has been at the forefront of interactive and digital entertainment since the debut of our first console in 1994. Our products delight millions across the world through incredible games, cutting edge experiences and access to many types of media.
This commitment to amazing our fans is at the core of who we are and one we share with Sony Corporation, internationally known as a leader in music, movies and consumer electronics.
We can only achieve this goal by welcoming talented people and empowering them to do their best work. From game developers to data scientists, software engineers to cybersecurity experts, marketing to accounting and finance professionals, we’re always looking for talented people who share a passion for creating and our commitment to delivering amazement.
