Naughty Dog, Inc.
Senior Game Designer (Combat)
Naughty Dog, Inc., Santa Monica, California, United States, 90403
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Ability to work hybrid from our Santa Monica, CA based 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 Part I is now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: 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. In service of these goals, Naughty Dog is growing our design team!
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
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.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.
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
Seniority level
Seniority level Mid-Senior level Employment type
Employment type Full-time Job function
Job function Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology Industries Computer Games Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Naughty Dog by 2x Get notified about new Senior Game Designer jobs in
Santa Monica, CA . Santa Monica, CA $123,800.00-$154,700.00 20 hours ago Game Designer III - VALORANT, Competitive Systems
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#J-18808-Ljbffr
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 Part I is now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: 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. In service of these goals, Naughty Dog is growing our design team!
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
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.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.
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
Seniority level
Seniority level Mid-Senior level Employment type
Employment type Full-time Job function
Job function Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology Industries Computer Games Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Naughty Dog by 2x Get notified about new Senior Game Designer jobs in
Santa Monica, CA . Santa Monica, CA $123,800.00-$154,700.00 20 hours ago Game Designer III - VALORANT, Competitive Systems
Principal Game Designer, Progression and Economy - Unpublished R&D Product
Culver City, CA $169,600.00-$253,000.00 2 weeks ago Core Game Designer (Unreal Engine 5 / Sports)
Culver City, CA $145,000.00-$220,000.00 2 days ago We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
#J-18808-Ljbffr