Technical Combat Designer - Unannounced Game

Blizzard Entertainment; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

Blizzard Entertainment is seeking a Technical Combat Designer for an unannounced StarCraft title. You will drive the design and implementation of enemy NPCs and combat encounters, crafting challenging, understandable, and fun battles.

Hybrid work week—some days remote, others on-site at Irvine studio. You will collaborate closely with art and engineering to move enemies from prototypes to polished characters, and work with level designers to create engaging encounters.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in combat or systems design.
• Experience designing systems and encounters from conception to implementation.
• Experience scripting for game development; prototyping from scratch.
• Comfortable with basic 3D math concepts like vectors and rotations.
• Proactive and effective communicator, passionate about making great games.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement exciting gameplay on a AAA title.
• Advance enemies and encounters from ideation to final execution.
• Leverage technical expertise to implement combat systems.
• Collaborate with art, engineering, and level design teams.
• Create one-page designs, briefs, and system outlines as needed.

Skills

Proactive communicator

Team collaboration

Tools

Blueprint

Job description

Job Title

Technical Combat Designer - Unannounced Game

Team Name

StarCraft

Job Title

Technical Combat Designer - Unannounced Game

Requisition ID

R028114

Job Description

Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of StarCraft, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games. We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make StarCraft, and it's about damn time. As a Technical Combat Designer, you will drive the design and implementation of enemy NPCs and combat encounters, ensuring combat is challenging, understandable, and satisfyingly fun. You will be responsible for creating custom behaviors, designing and tuning attacks and abilities, and tuning and adjusting enemy perception and combat strength to create unique and challenging enemies. You will collaborate closely with art and engineering teams to take enemies from early prototypes to highly polished characters. You will also work alongside level designers to create engaging combat encounters using these enemies. This role offers a hybrid work week, with a mix of work-from-home and on-site days, based out of our Irvine studio.

Responsibilities

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Design and implement exciting gameplay on a AAA title.
• Push forward development on enemies and encounters – from ideation, through prototyping, to final best-in-class execution.
• Leverage technical expertise to implement combat systems.
• Collaborate with multiple disciplines, ensuring partners are involved and informed throughout development.
• Create one-page designs, briefs, and system outlines as needed to communicate design goals.

Minimum Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in combat or systems design, or applicable combination of education and experience.
• Experience designing systems and encounters from conception to implementation.
• Experience scripting for game development; comfortable creating prototypes from scratch.
• Comfortable working with basic 3D math concepts like vectors and rotations.
• Proactive and effective communicator, passionate about making great games.

Extra Points

• Work experience in the AAA space.
• Familiarity with visual scripting languages such as Blueprint.
• Familiarity with AI behavior trees.
• A background in encounter design or AI design.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all the qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [e-mail]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

Requirements

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $30.47 - $56.35 Hourly. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.