Combat Designer (Senior+)

Velan Studios • Troy, NY

3d • $80,000 - $130,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Velan Studios is entering pre-production on a forthcoming third-person shooter concept and is seeking an experienced Combat Designer to drive critical early-stage design decisions and lead implementation of combat design throughout the project. The role focuses on player traversal, camera controls, shooter-based combat, and creating responsive, engaging, intuitive mechanics in collaboration with artists, animators, audio designers, and gameplay programmers. The position is hybrid or onsite at the studios in Troy, NY, or Toronto, ON. Hybrid work requires three studio days per week: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of design experience.
• At least one shipped title as a combat designer in the action or shooter genres.
• Ability to lead a small cross-discipline sub-team on a mid- or large-size development project.
• General scripting proficiency.
• Solid cross-disciplinary communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with third-person controller-based shooter combat in an action-adventure setting.
• Experience designing co-op gameplay.
• Experience with quick initial gameplay prototyping to prove or disprove a direction.

Responsibilities

• Create compelling combat designs and traversal sets for playable characters.
• Define combat behaviors for enemies, allies, and bosses.
• Collaborate closely with artists, animators, audio designers, and gameplay programmers on cross-discipline teams.
• Implement key systems in partnership with engineering teams.
• Work as a team lead with the Game Director to shape and implement compelling combat designs.
• Lead a small cross-discipline sub-team on a mid- or large-size development project.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed