Combat Designer - Enemies

Job Description

Combat Designer - Enemies (Star Wars Jedi)

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide. Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.

You can learn more about our studio and values at respawn.com/studio.

We're looking for a Combat Designer to join our Star Wars team. Our ideal candidate is passionate about crafting engaging and immersive combat experiences, with a strong understanding of hero mechanics, enemy design, AI behaviors, and combat systems. Reporting to the Lead Combat Designer, you'll contribute to creating exhilarating gameplay experiences that resonate with players. We're looking for someone with solid design skills, a collaborative mindset, and a strong interest in combat systems who is eager to develop their expertise while helping deliver high-quality combat mechanics.
What you'll do...
• Collaborate with the Lead Combat Designer, Game Director, and design leadership to implement enemy designs and combat systems from concept to final product.
• Work closely with art, engineering, animation, audio, code, and VFX teams to ensure the combat systems and enemies align with the game's creative vision.
• Implement and tune character animations, behavior trees, and special effects within Unreal Engine.
• Conduct research on relevant subject matter to ensure authenticity in design and gameplay experiences.
• Communicate effectively across departments to maintain alignment on the overall creative vision.
• Be open to self-critique and feedback and incorporate ideas from colleagues to continuously improve your work.
• Contribute to establishing and enforcing consistent design practices, constraints, and metrics throughout projects.

Ideally, you will have...
• At least 3+ years of experience in the games industry as a combat or systems designer, with involvement in at least one shipped title.
• Experience designing and implementing combat systems, bosses, and/or enemies using visual scripting or text-based languages.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine or similar tools is preferred.
• Strong prototyping skills to rapidly test new design concepts.
• Good understanding of game design principles, particularly with regard to timing and mechanics that feel ''right'' in combat.
• A problem-solving mindset with a keen attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, especially in cross-disciplinary collaborations.
• A passion for melee combat or action-focused games is a plus.

If this opportunity sounds like a great fit for you, please submit your resume and portfolio. We will get back to you once we have reviewed it.
• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria)
• $89,300 - $123,000 CAD
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento)
• $103,200 - $145,600 USD

In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

In British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d5q2p1-18-119-118-237-42 in your application.