Senior AI Designer in Brighton

Reporting to Lead Gameplay Designer

Department: Game Design/Scripting

Location: Brighton

Who We Are

Hangar 13 is an internal 2K development studio that creates influential AAA video game experiences across all major platforms. The studio has three locations around the world: Brighton (UK), Brno & Prague (Czech Republic), working collaboratively as one team. Each of our locations provides the opportunity to work with some of the most talented developers in the industry, on creatively challenging and exciting projects, in a diverse and welcoming environment. Our focus is on making the highest quality games with sustainable, healthy development plans; to tell stories that engage players through worlds and experiences that keep them hooked from start to finish. We strive to be a studio where our team members know they can make a difference and grow professionally alongside creating games they are proud of.

What We Need

Hangar 13 is in search of an experienced and highly skilled AI Designer who has a passion for creating engaging AI Systems and Behaviours that provide great gameplay and help sell the fantasy of the game. You enjoy analyzing AI and Player behaviours and want to create novel gameplay experiences.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Own the feature development, design, and implementation of complex AI behaviors and systems for both combat and non-combat NPCs, from prototype through shipping.
• Design and implement new character archetypes and their associated abilities and logic, ensuring they fit the game's vision and offer novel gameplay experiences.
• Drive cross-discipline collaboration within feature pods (Engineering, Animation, Gameplay) to implement, tune, and balance AI systems and player encounters.
• Ensure player clarity by designing behaviors that clearly communicate AI intention, enabling players to understand and plan their actions accordingly.
• Analyze, validate, and incorporate feedback from team members and external user testing to continuously refine the AI experience.
• Develop and evangelize best practices for AI content creation and system utilization across the entire design team.
• Author and maintain high-quality design documentation for owned features and core AI systems.

What We’re Looking For

• Passion for creating complex, balanced AI systems and linking those to desired player experiences.
• Keeps up to date with current industry trends, features and techniques related to the execution of engaging AIs.
• Experience with advanced AI systems (e.g., Behavior Trees, State Trees) in a live environment.
• Proven track record designing and shipping complex, engaging combat and non-combat NPC behaviors.
• Strong cross-disciplinary collaboration skills, with a history of driving consensus to achieve high-quality outcomes.
• Experience working with Unreal Engine.
• Shipped one or more AAA game titles in an AI Design role or similar.

You Might Also Have

• A solid understanding of game design principles and how AI, tactical space, and player verbs combine to create unique moments.
• Creative problem-solving skills, able to consider both the details and the larger picture.
• Ability to drive prioritization and scheduling of work for owned feature(s).
• Can independently understand and solve technical challenges related to your features.

Hangar 13 prides itself on the diversity of its team members, partners, and communities. For this reason, we remain committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment and hiring through compensation, benefits, discipline and termination. As an equal opportunity employer, we are also committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations(s) to participate in the job application and/or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need to request reasonable accommodation.