Game Designer - Enemies & Bosses

Summary

Join Digital Extremes as an Enemy and Boss Designer and play a key role in shaping Warframe's combat encounters. Collaborate with various teams to design, prototype, and implement unique enemy behaviors and epic boss battles. You will analyze combat data and player feedback to refine designs, ensuring a polished and engaging player experience. The ideal candidate is passionate about action games, understands player feedback, and excels in crafting dynamic and memorable enemies and bosses. This position offers the opportunity to innovate on existing mechanics and contribute to the evolution of Warframe's combat. You will work closely with other teams to ensure that enemies and bosses enhance the game's story and thematic elements.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as a Combat Designer or related role in the video game industry, with a focus on enemies and bosses
• Proven experience designing and implementing enemy AI, behaviors, and boss encounters for action-oriented games, ideally in live service or multiplayer environments
• Must have experience working on a 1st-person or 3rd-person game
• Strong understanding of player feedback loops, hit detection, and animation timing to create responsive and satisfying combat interactions
• Experience with game engines and familiarity with tools for designing AI and combat encounters
• Ability to analyze gameplay data and user feedback to inform design decisions and balance combat features
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-disciplinary teams
• Detail-oriented and capable of managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced development environment
• Passionate about action games and a deep understanding of what makes enemy and boss encounters engaging and memorable
• Familiarity with Warframe’s core gameplay mechanics and combat systems

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, and implement enemy behaviors, AI systems, and boss encounters that align with the vision of Warframe
• Collaborate with animation, programming, and level design teams to ensure enemies and bosses are smoothly integrated and deliver a polished player experience
• Guide and collaborate with the tools team to enhance the development flow for enemies, ensuring efficient and flexible processes for rapid iteration and testing
• Develop and balance a diverse roster of enemies, mini-bosses, and main bosses, maintaining a consistent and engaging combat flow
• Create compelling AI behaviors, attack patterns, and dynamic challenges for enemies and bosses, providing a fair yet exciting experience for players
• Analyze combat data, player feedback, and internal playtests to refine and iterate on enemy and boss designs
• Work closely with the narrative and art teams to ensure that enemies and bosses enhance the game's story and thematic elements
• Document and communicate enemy and boss design concepts clearly, ensuring alignment across all development teams
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and innovations in enemy and boss design, bringing fresh ideas to the team
• Participate in playtests, providing and receiving constructive feedback to continuously improve combat encounters
• Other responsibilities as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with live service games and an understanding of ongoing balancing and content updates
• Expertise in melee combat design and experience working on action-combat or character-action games
• Familiarity with Warframe’s enemy design philosophy and a strong understanding of its community and player expectations
• Basic skills in visual scripting or prototyping tools
• An avid gamer with a passion for creating compelling enemy and boss encounters, and a fan of Warframe or similar titles

Benefits

• Competitive salary with potential bonus opportunities
• Excellent benefits and paid time off
• Matching RRSP or Simple IRA
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Virtual access to Dialogue or Magellan, our mental wellness and healthcare services app
• Professional development and career support
• Work-life balance wellness subsidies
• Be part of “Giving Back” through a multitude of fundraising venues at DE
• Employee events and team building exercises