Senior Combat Designer (AI archetype)

Cloud Chamber - English; Novato (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

14 paid holidays

Vacation time 15-25 days

Sick days up to 10

Parental and compassionate leave

Wellbeing programs

Maven family planning

Commuter benefits

Fitness reimbursements

Job summary

Cloud Chamber in California is seeking a Senior Combat Designer to lead AI combat systems and innovative player experiences. You will collaborate with design, art, and engineering teams across Novato and Montreal to implement ambitious AI characters and gameplay ideas using Unreal Engine.

The role emphasizes ownership of AI/combat implementation, prototyping, documentation, and cross-disciplinary teamwork to push the project toward its BioShock-inspired vision.

Qualifications

• Shipped AAA title as designer responsible for AI combatants.
• 5+ years professional experience in video game design.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working with a variety of established game toolsets.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively within cross-disciplinary groups and across multi-site team settings.
• Deep understanding of game mechanics, combat systems, and AI NPC design.
• Fluent with game development tools, and experience with pipelines, standards and workflows.
• Current knowledge of gaming industry development landscape, technology and tools.

Responsibilities

• Pitch and develop interactive AI characters and execute the vision for the game.
• Own AI and combat implementation in cross-disciplinary pods.
• Develop working prototypes of AI and combat scenarios.
• Communicate progress, workflows, and availability of AI and combat standards to content developers.
• Maintain and tune assigned combat AI behavior and parameters through to project completion.
• Create detailed and easy-to-follow design documentation.
• Collaborate across development sites in Novato and Montreal on a day-to-day basis.
• Expand and build on the ideas of player expression and emergent design experiences.
• Use your creativity to execute on design goals and solve design challenges that push our games forward.
• Participate in brainstorm sessions, refine, and execute on ideas within a schedule.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to execute on design implementation and problem solving.

Skills

AAA title shipped

5+ years experience

Communication skills

Game toolsets

Cross-team collab

AI combatants

Unreal Engine

AI combat design

Gameplay design

Tools

Unreal Engine

Job description

As a Senior Combat Designer at Cloud Chamber, you will collaborate with an innovative team of designers, artists, and engineers to create industry-leading AI characters and combat gameplay. You will be responsible for expanding and building on the ideas of player expression and emergent design experiences. Utilizing your deep knowledge of Unreal Engine, you will develop interactive AI characters to support the overall creative vision for our project, ensuring that our ambitious design goals are achieved and ultimately bring the richly imagined world of BioShock to life.

What You’ll Do

• Work with the Leads, Design Director, and the design team to pitch and develop interactive AI characters and execute the vision for the game.
• Act as the primary owner of AI and combat implementation in cross-disciplinary pods.
• Develop working prototypes of AI and combat scenarios.
• Communicate progress, workflows, and availability of AI and combat standards to content developers.
• Maintain and tune assigned combat AI behavior and parameters through to project completion.
• Create detailed and easy-to-follow design documentation.
• Collaborate across development sites in Novato and Montreal on a day-to-day basis.
• Expand and build on the ideas of player expression and emergent design experiences.
• Use your creativity to execute on design goals and solve design challenges that push our games forward.
• Participate in brainstorm sessions, refine, and execute on ideas within a schedule.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to execute on design implementation and problem solving.

What We’ll Do Together

At Cloud Chamber, we are champions of high standards, pushing for progress and embracing change. We will work closely and constructively across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to realize our creative ambitions. Together, we will stay current on technological advancements and identify solutions to overcome developmental obstacles.

In this combat design capacity, you will support the Creative Director’s vision, ensuring creative intent is translated into a performant reality while taking ownership of complex design challenges.

Skills & Experiences

• Shipped at least one AAA title as a designer responsible for AI combatants.
• 5+ years professional experience in video game design.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working with a variety of established game toolsets.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively within cross-disciplinary groups and across multi-site team settings.
• Deep understanding of game mechanics, combat systems, and AI NPC design.
• Fluent with game development tools, and experience with pipelines, standards and workflows.
• Current knowledge of gaming industry development landscape, technology and tools.
• Understanding of how AI, tactical space, and player verbs combine to create magic in both scripted and unscripted settings.
• In-depth knowledge of industry standard AI, progression systems, and player mechanics features.

Who You Are

• A strong empathetic team member, able to take ownership over your tasks and mentor more junior designers.
• A reliable, positive force multiplier, actively seeking opportunities to integrate work across disciplines and contribute to a healthy, supportive team environment.
• A solid communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, package information for diverse audiences, and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
• A persistent and self-motivated person with a proactive mindset.
• Able to maintain effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and fast-changing priorities.
• An active listener able to build and maintain trust-based relationships across all levels of the organization, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
• Highly open to feedback and direction, possessing a desire to learn new skills, and capable of producing quick, quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
• A strong owner of your tasks, who strives to drive their work forward autonomously while maintaining a critical eye for detail and organization, ensuring high standards of quality.
• Dedicated to upholding Cloud Chamber’s core values, contributing to a positive and respectful company culture while striving for excellence in all endeavors.

Who We Are

At Cloud Chamber we strive to make BioShock games that move people: evocative, immersive, and meaningful experiences that stay with you long after you’ve rolled credits. Great games are born from great collaborations, supported by a culture that brings out the best in our teams. We work openly, learn through play, take ownership, push ourselves to be better, and deliver for our players.

For candidates located in Quebec

This position requires professional proficiency in both French and English. Proficiency in English is required to collaborate with our U.S. teams and international partners, as well as to handle specialized technical documentation (reading, writing, and communication).

Salary and Benefits

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,200 and $148,320 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

• medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year
• paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program
• up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year
• paid parental and compassionate leave
• wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support
• family planning support through Maven
• commuter benefits
• reimbursements for fitness-related expenses

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform their essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never use instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews. When emailing prospective employees, we only use 2K.com accounts

#LI-Hybrid