Senior Game Designer Combat

Ability to work hybrid from our Santa Monica, CA studio is required.For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Parts I and II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working onIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we’d love to find talented individuals to join us.Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.What you will do:Pitch, design, implement, and own enemy NPC archetypesWork with AI programmers to develop foundational NPC technology and implementing and tuning enemy AI behaviorsWork with animators to develop enemy locomotion and traversal, melee moves, ambient behaviors, and other custom abilities. Make every enemy archetype feel unique and memorableCollaborate with the Design team to conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systemsCommunicate with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the enemies you’re owningWrite and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypesDrive communication and collaboration for enemies you design and the levels they are in, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlinesEffective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departmentsFacilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based on player experiencesMentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design teamWhat 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 gamesAt least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role. Experience with behavior trees or similar NPC AI concepts preferredStrong coding ability: Computer Science degree preferred though not requiredProficient 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” mentalityProficient and effective communication skills, including diagramming and sketchingFluent in modern character action-adventure and shooter combat games. Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trendsKnowledge of narrative structure and how it intersects with gameplay and combatA keen eye for detail in character action games, able to tune gameplay systems to make them feel smooth and impactfulStrong leadership and mentoring skillsPlease refer to ourCandidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans. #J-18808-Ljbffr