Associate Technical Designer, Combat AI (Temp) - Unannounced Game

Team Name:

Unannounced Project

Job Title:

Associate Technical Designer, Combat AI (Temp) - Unannounced Game

Requisition ID:

R025739

Job Description:

At Blizzard, we craft genre-defining games and legendary worlds for all to share.  Through unparalleled creativity and storytelling, we create immersive universes and iconic characters that are beloved across platforms, borders, backgrounds, and generations - only made possible by building a work environment that nurtures the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people.

As an Associate Technical Combat Designer, AI, 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 is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The home studio for this role is Irvine, CA. This is a temporary role for 12 months that could extend.

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

• 2+ 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 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!

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!