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 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.

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 :

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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.

$145,100 — $181,400 USD