Senior Combat Designer II, Unannounced Project | Irvine, CA

About the role

The Senior Combat Designer II will be responsible for setting the vision and direction for combat systems and gameplay experiences for a new, unannounced game. This role involves working closely with cross-disciplinary leads to deliver best-in-class gameplay experiences.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the design vision for combat systems and gameplay experiences from early concept through final execution.
• Design and implement core combat mechanics, including player abilities, enemy behaviors, and systemic interactions.
• Establish combat design pillars, ensuring consistency in feel, responsiveness, readability, and player satisfaction.
• Create and oversee the development of complex enemy encounters that scale across progression and difficulty levels.
• Partner with level design to ensure combat spaces support gameplay clarity, pacing, and engagement.
• Collaborate with engineering and technical design to evolve tools, pipelines, and systems supporting combat development.
• Provide leadership through influence by mentoring designers, reviewing work, and raising the overall quality bar for combat design.
• Drive iteration efforts using playtest feedback, metrics, and qualitative insights to refine gameplay experiences.
• Author clear, structured design documentation that effectively communicates systems, features, and intent across teams.
• Act as a key stakeholder in cross-disciplinary decision-making, ensuring alignment between gameplay, narrative, and technical constraints.
• Identify risks early and proactively propose solutions to maintain quality and production timelines.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in combat design, systems design, or related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated ownership of major gameplay systems through multiple phases of development, from prototyping to ship.
• Experience influencing cross-functional teams and contributing to product-level design decisions.
• Experience working in modern AAA engines and development pipelines.

Skills

• Deep expertise in combat design fundamentals including player feedback, encounter design, progression systems, and tuning.
• Strong systems design capability, with the ability to design scalable, extensible gameplay frameworks.
• Solid technical proficiency with scripting, data-driven design tools, or engine-based implementation workflows.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience applying playtest data and feedback to improve design outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to align diverse teams around a shared vision.

Key Attributes

• Player-focused mindset with a passion for delivering exceptional gameplay experiences.
• High level of ownership, accountability, and craftsmanship in all areas of work.
• Able to lead through influence, mentorship, and constructive feedback.
• Strong collaboration skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Adaptability in an iterative and evolving development environment.

Extra Points

• Experience designing combat systems for AAA titles.
• Experience contributing to franchise-defining gameplay or live service titles.
• Background in mentoring or developing other designers.
• Familiarity with scripting or programming languages such as C++, C#, Blueprint, Lua, or similar.
• Experience building scalable combat systems that support long-term content development.
• Broad knowledge of game genres and systems, with strong critical analysis skills.

Pay

$99,200.00 - $183,520.00 Annual.

Schedule

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work onsite and some work from home. The home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.