Senior Game Designer (Combat)

PlayStation Global•Santa Monica, CA

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

Why PlayStation? PlayStation isn’t just the Best Place to Play — it’s also the Best Place to Work. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in entertainment producing The PlayStation family of products and services including PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation®Plus, acclaimed PlayStation software titles from PlayStation Studios, and more. PlayStation also strives to create an inclusive environment that empowers employees and embraces diversity. We welcome and encourage everyone who has a passion and curiosity for innovation, technology, and play to explore our open positions and join our growing global team. The PlayStation brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. 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 Parts I and II are 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.

Requirements

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

Responsibilities

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