Are you on a mission to create games that bond players together into deeply invested communities? Do you spend your time thinking about how to build combat puzzles for players that have potential to create memorable teamplay moments? Are you excited to make gameplay that strongly cares about player intention, action game feel, and readability?
We are seeking a highly technical, creative, and team-oriented Senior Sandbox Designer to contribute to a new multiplayer action game on teamLFG. You will work closely with the entire Design Team designing, crafting, and implementing a robust suite of AI characters for use in an objective-based team game. You will collaborate with team members from other disciplines to drive cohesive gameplay vision. You will establish good design processes and evangelize them throughout the design team. Most importantly, you will work with a fun, dedicated, and cross discipline team devoted to turning a creative dream into a new franchise at PlayStation.
RESPONSIBILITIES
An active member of a cross-discipline small team building new AI enemies, player objectives, and the core systems that enable the creation of future AI, such as navigation, perception, behavior, and combat prioritization
Create and balance a suite of active and passive player items that can extend and amplify player base kits and act as meaningful inter-match upgrades
Review content created by multiple disciplines, giving feedback to ensure competitive readability, best in class game feel, and compelling fantasies
Create and maintain endearing characters that uphold IP quality, consistency, along with sandbox design principles
Work with audio, effects, 3D and animation to make in-game gameplay affordances clear to players
REQUIRED SKILLS
Intuitive understanding of how second-to-second action games work and why people play them
Fluency for collaboration with designers, artists, programmers, audio professionals, quality assurance and producers to achieve a common goal, with adaptability for how to work in a flexible work environment
Broad T-shaped rapid prototyping skills, with strong technical scripting ability and enough multi-disciplinary knowledge to quickly stub out gameplay ideas to evaluate their potential
Strong understanding of combat animation; is experienced in discussing anticipation, follow through, character and timing, and their impact on game readability and balance
Proven ability to build alignment and productively own feature direction without sacrificing empathy and collaboration with team contributors
Ability to operate autonomously and handle ambiguity, including giving and receiving feedback despite that ambiguity
Understanding of PvP game design and balance, getting the challenge level right for a wide variety of situations
Understanding of how systemically consistent, combinatoric game design can create player surprise and laughter
Outstanding oral and written communication skills
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
Experience as a Sandbox/Gameplay Designer on a multiplayer action game, designing, documenting, and building combat/character systems
Experience delegating work or ownership of an area to multi-disciplinary peers
Knowledge and perspective from playing competitive team games
