Senior Combat Designer II — AAA Gameplay Architect (Hybrid)

Blizzard Entertainment; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 99,200 - 183,520; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401(k) with Company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Mental health & wellbeing programs

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Combat Designer II for an unannounced project. You will set vision for combat systems, own major gameplay experiences, and partner with cross-disciplinary leads to deliver best-in-class gameplay.

This hybrid role combines onsite collaboration with remote work, allowing you to influence both moment-to-moment combat and long-term system design while mentoring other designers and shaping the player’s epic battles.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in combat design or related field.
• Shipped at least one AAA title in a senior or lead design role.
• Experience guiding cross-functional teams and product-level design decisions.
• Experience with modern AAA engines and development pipelines.
• Ability to design scalable gameplay systems and provide mentorship.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the design vision for combat systems and gameplay experiences.
• Design and implement core combat mechanics, player abilities, and enemy behaviors.
• Establish combat pillars for consistency in feel and pacing.
• Create complex encounters that scale with progression and difficulty.
• Collaborate with level design to ensure combat spaces support clarity.
• Work with engineering to evolve tools, pipelines, and systems.
• Provide leadership through mentoring and feedback to raise quality.
• Iterate using playtests, metrics, and qualitative insights.
• Author clear design documentation communicating systems and intent.
• Serve as a cross-disciplinary stakeholder aligning gameplay, narrative, and constraints.
• Identify risks early and propose solutions to maintain timelines.

Skills

Combat design fundamentals

Systems design capability

Technical proficiency with scripting

Analytical mindset

Written & verbal communication

Tools

C++

C#

Blueprint

Lua

Job description

Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Combat Designer II for an unannounced project. You will set vision for combat systems, own major gameplay experiences, and partner with cross-disciplinary leads to deliver best-in-class gameplay.

This hybrid role combines onsite collaboration with remote work, allowing you to influence both moment-to-moment combat and long-term system design while mentoring other designers and shaping the player’s epic battles.