Senior Enemy (Systems) Designer - Unannounced Project

Senior Enemy (Systems) Designer - Unannounced Project

Full-Time 49500 - 60500 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Zynga

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and implement exciting enemy behaviours for a thrilling first-person shooter mobile game.
  • Company: Join NaturalMotion, a leading game studio in London with a passion for innovation.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on creativity and fun.
  • Why this job: Shape the combat experience and create memorable enemies that players will love.
  • Qualifications: Experience in Combat/Enemy Design and a passion for action games required.

The predicted salary is between 49500 - 60500 £ per year.

NaturalMotion is looking for a talented and passionate Enemy Designer to join our London studio, helping shape the combat experience for our first-person shooter mobile title. This role focuses on implementing well-known enemies, adapting existing enemies and adding new compelling enemies to bring an authentic console experience to mobile. Sitting at the intersection of design, art, animation, audio, and engineering, you will ensure enemy encounters are polished, purposeful and fun. A core responsibility will be working with Level Design & Combat Design to ensure every enemy encounter is polished, purposeful, and fun. We are looking for someone who brings both craft knowledge and a genuine love of action games.

We embrace a hybrid work environment. Within this role you will work 2 days per week in our London office and the remaining days at home.

What You'll Do:

  • Ownership of designing, prototyping, and implementing enemy behaviours, AI systems, boss encounters & other features that align with the creative vision of the game.
  • Take enemies and bosses from paper design through to shipping quality, ensuring they are complete, polished and fun for players.
  • Work with Level Design & Combat Design to ensure enemies, factions, and NPCs meet their goals at every stage of development. Define required metrics to track and achieve them.
  • Collaborate closely with art, animation, audio, design and engineering teams to build content and solve problems in a multi-disciplinary environment.
  • Develop and balance a diverse roster of enemies, bosses, mutators & more.
  • Create compelling AI behaviours & attack patterns that provide an exciting experience and appropriately challenging for players.
  • Analyse combat data, player feedback, and internal playtests to refine and iterate on enemy and boss designs.
  • Work concurrently on multiple features at varying stages of development, managing priorities effectively as content pipelines run in parallel.
  • Document and communicate enemy and boss design concepts clearly to ensure alignment across all development teams.

What You Bring:

  • Previous experience in Combat / Enemy Design or an equivalent role in the video game industry.
  • At least one shipped title in a design role for a Shooter / Action / RPG title.
  • Experience designing and implementing enemy AI, behaviours, and encounters for action games.
  • Experience working on a first-person or third-person game.
  • Familiarity with the Unreal game engine.
  • Ability to analyse gameplay data and player feedback to inform and balance design decisions.
  • Strong visual & verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across cross-disciplinary teams.
  • The ability to manage multiple designs in a fast-paced development environment.
  • Passionate about action games with a deep understanding of what makes enemy designs engaging and memorable.

Bonus Points:

  • Background in live service games and/or mobile games with an understanding of ongoing balancing and content updates.
  • Experience with visual scripting or rapid prototyping tools.
  • An avid gamer with a genuine enthusiasm for crafting memorable and inventive enemy designs.

Senior Enemy (Systems) Designer - Unannounced Project employer: Zynga

Zynga is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, perfect for those passionate about mobile gaming and localization. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, you will have the opportunity to lead innovative projects while benefiting from a competitive package that prioritises work-life balance in vibrant locations like London and Spain.

Zynga

Contact Details:

Zynga Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Enemy (Systems) Designer - Unannounced Project

Join Local Tech Meetups

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Contribute to Open Source Projects

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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Enemy (Systems) Designer - Unannounced Project

Enemy Design
AI Systems Implementation
Combat Design
Prototyping
Gameplay Data Analysis
Unreal Engine Familiarity
Visual Communication Skills

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Zynga.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Zynga and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Zynga

Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Zynga uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.