Senior Combat Designer II - Visionary Encounters & Systems

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC; 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 & vacation

Mental health & wellbeing programs

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Combat Designer II for an unannounced project. You will lead combat system design, shape player experiences, and collaborate with cross-disciplinary leads to deliver best-in-class gameplay.

Responsibilities include designing core mechanics, creating complex encounters, mentoring designers, and driving playtest-based iteration. Hybrid onsite/remote work is available with Irvine as home studio.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in combat design, systems design, or related discipline.
• Shipped at least one AAA title in a senior or lead-level design capacity with measurable impact.
• Experience influencing cross-functional teams and contributing to product-level design decisions.
• Experience working in modern AAA engines and development pipelines.

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.

Skills

Combat design

Systems design

Leadership / mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

AAA engine familiarity

Tools

Scripting

Job description

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Combat Designer II for an unannounced project. You will lead combat system design, shape player experiences, and collaborate with cross-disciplinary leads to deliver best-in-class gameplay.

Responsibilities include designing core mechanics, creating complex encounters, mentoring designers, and driving playtest-based iteration. Hybrid onsite/remote work is available with Irvine as home studio.