Research Data Analyst

Naughty Dog; Santa Monica (CA); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Job summary

Naughty Dog in Santa Monica is seeking a Research Data Analyst to join the User Research team and turn player data into actionable insights for design and production decisions. You will work with Sony Game Analytics, Engineering, and Design to influence telemetry design and data quality.

Ideal candidates bring 3–5 years in data analysis or UX research support, experience with SQL, Python or R, and dashboards in Tableau or Looker. This is a hybrid/onsite role with competitive pay and benefits.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in data analysis, analytics, UX research support, or a related field.
• Experience working with telemetry data and game analytics workflows.
• Strong analytical and statistical skills, including experience with SQL, Python, R, MongoDB, or similar tools.
• Experience with analytics platforms such as Tableau, Looker, or similar platforms.
• A deep curiosity about player psychology, motivation, and behavior.
• High attention to detail, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to effectively present information to top management and key stakeholders.
• A collaborative mindset and adaptability to the ever changing needs of video game production.

Responsibilities

• Analyze gameplay telemetry, player feedback, and research findings to identify trends, friction points, and opportunities across systems and features.
• Translate complex datasets into clear insights and recommendations that inform design, prioritization, and development strategy.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting tools to communicate key metrics and progress over time with tools like Tableau and Omni.
• Partner with Sony Game Analytics, Gameplay, Engineering, and Design to support telemetry design, event tracking, and data quality.
• Collaborate with User Research to connect quantitative analysis with qualitative findings from studies and playtests.
• Participate in research efforts to better understand player behavior firsthand and identify new measurement opportunities.

Skills

Telemetry data analysis

SQL

Python

R

MongoDB

Data analytics

Presentation of insights

Education

Advanced degree in Data Science/Statistics/CS

Tools

Tableau

Looker

Job description

This is a hybrid/ Onsite position.

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.

Naughty Dog is looking for a Research Data Analyst to join our User Research team and help us better understand how players engage with our games. In this role, you’ll work closely with Sony Game Analytics and development teams to turn player data into insight that can directly support creative and production decisions.

This position is ideal for someone who is curious, analytical, and deeply interested in how player behavior connects to game systems and design intent. Beyond working with technical tools and valuable reports, you’ll be expected to identify meaningful trends, surfacing potential issues, to help teams understand the “why” behind player patterns. A strong candidate will be comfortable working across disciplines and excited to contribute to our games.

What you will do:

• Analyze gameplay telemetry, player feedback, and research findings to identify trends, friction points, and opportunities across systems and features.
• Translate complex datasets into clear insights and recommendations that inform design, prioritization, and development strategy.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting tools to communicate key metrics and progress over time with tools like Tableau and Omni.
• Partner with Sony Game Analytics, Gameplay, Engineering, and Design to support telemetry design, event tracking, and data quality.
• Collaborate with User Research to connect quantitative analysis with qualitative findings from studies and playtests.
• Participate in research efforts to better understand player behavior firsthand and identify new measurement opportunities.

What Skills you will use:

• 3–5 years of experience in data analysis, analytics, UX research support, or a related field.
• Experience working with telemetry data and game analytics workflows.
• Strong analytical and statistical skills, including experience with SQL, Python, R, MongoDB, or similar tools.
• Experience with analytics platforms such as Tableau, Looker, or similar platforms
• A deep curiosity about player psychology, motivation, and behavior.
• High attention to detail, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
• Ability to effectively present information to top management and key stakeholders
• A collaborative mindset and adaptability to the ever changing needs of video game production.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, or a related quantitative or research focused field.
• Familiarity with narrative, single player game research and player experience evaluation.
• Solid understanding of probability, statistics, and applied mathematical reasoning.
• Ability to interpret technical and research materials and communicate findings clearly in reports and presentations.
• Possesses a high degree of technical curiosity, regularly exploring how tools work under the hood.
• Prior experience with AAA console or PC game development.

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At SIE, working with our partners, 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 individual base pay range may vary based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
In addition, this role is eligible for benefit offerings that include medical, dental, and vision. Click hereto learn more.

The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below, this is an hourly rate.$51.83—$64.76 USD

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