Senior Game Designer - Sandbox

Job Description

Cliffhanger Games is a newly formed Seattle Studio focusing on blockbuster action-adventure games and pioneering next-generation emergent storytelling beginning with Marvel's Black Panther. Join us to pursue your passion to build unique groundbreaking, and inclusive games that empower players to create incredible stories of heroic adventure.

Become a foundational part of an, respectful, and diverse team as we are looking for a Technical Designer AI and Behavior to join our team. Reporting to the Design Manager, the Sr. Technical Designer Sandbox will be instrumental in designing and populating encounters, systems, and gameplay within a dynamic and evolving open world. Drawing upon a deep understanding of technical design principles and a passion for creating immersive sandbox experiences, this role demands close collaboration with design teams, AI engineering, and technical art departments to bring our game world to life.

Responsibilities
• Design, prototype, and implement AI systems, encounters, and gameplay mechanics that contribute to a rich, sandbox environment.
• Work closely with the AI engineering team to create sophisticated AI behaviors that enhance the open-world experience, from urban crowds to wildlife ecosystems.
• Collaborate with game designers to ensure that sandbox elements support and enrich the narrative and gameplay objectives.
• Partner with technical artists to integrate visual and environmental elements seamlessly into sandbox designs, ensuring a cohesive and immersive world.
• Support the development of systems and templates for dynamic events and interactions that respond to player actions and contribute to a living, breathing game world.
• Collaborate with mission and encounter designers to implement specific gameplay features where encounters and sandbox systems overlap, ensuring a cohesive gameplay experience.
• Partner with the design team to integrate sandbox dynamics into the mission design, facilitating seamless transitions between structured missions and open-world exploration.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to other designers, sharing expertise in sandbox design and Unreal Engine tools.
• Maintain documentation and best practices for sandbox design processes and systems, facilitating knowledge sharing and efficiency across the team.

Required Qualifications
• 5+ Years experience in technical and sandbox design for open-world games, with a proven track record of creating engaging and dynamic environments.
• Expertise in Unreal Engine, with strong skills in Blueprint scripting and a solid understanding of environmental and AI system integration.
• Collaborative skills across disciplines to merge gameplay, narrative, and technical art into cohesive sandbox experiences.
• Conceptualize and implement innovative sandbox features that push the boundaries of open-world gameplay.
• Passion for games and an understanding of what makes sandbox gameplay engaging and memorable for players.

We encourage you to apply, even if you don't match every qualification listed above. Let us know why you are the right person for this role, why you will be great, what unique perspectives you will bring, and which requirements will challenge you to grow.

Ceci ne s'applique pas au Québec.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these locations. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the range and benefits for your specific location.

EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Pay offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

BASE SALARY RANGES
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):

º $138,200 - $219,000 USD Annually
• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):

º $136,600 - $219,000 USD Annually
• Jersey City, NJ :

º $171,100 - $219,000 USD Annually
• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):

º $153,100 - $206,200 USD Annually
• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):

º $136,600 - $202,300 USD Annually
• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria):

º $126,000 - $176,300 CAN Annually

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. For British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-re0292-3-17-128-129-42 in your application.