Combat Designer; Associate​/Mid-Level​/Senior​/Principal

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Combat Designer (Associate/Mid-Level/Senior / Principal)

Combat Designer (Associate/Mid-Level/Senior / Principal)
Hybrid Remote
• Austin, TX
• Design

Full-time

What we do:

At Gunfire Games
, we’re passionate about creating unforgettable worlds and experiences. With a legacy built on titles like Darksiders 3, The Remnant Series and Chronos, we’re driven by the future of game development. Our team thrives on innovation, collaboration, and honing our craft to its finest edge. We’re looking for talented, passionate people to help shape the next chapter in our story.

Gunfire Games is seeking a Combat Designer (Associate, Mid-Level, Senior, or Principal) to focus on creature design for our upcoming titles. In this role, you will conceptualize and implement compelling creature mechanics using Unreal Engine 5, helping bring dynamic and memorable encounters to life.

The ideal candidate has a passion for making characters feel alive and authentic, along with a strong understanding of combat design, animation fundamentals, and gameplay systems. You should be comfortable working in-engine, using tools such as state machines and Blueprints to implement and iterate on creature behaviors. We’re looking for a self-starter who is highly motivated and capable of working with minimal supervision, with expectations and scope scaling based on experience level.

All candidates must provide a portfolio demonstrating relevant work in creature design or gameplay implementation.

Who You Are: We are open to candidates across multiple experience levels. Responsibilities and expectations scale based on experience and scope of ownership.

• 0–2+ years of experience (professional, internship, or equivalent personal/indie work)
• Foundational understanding of combat design, AI behaviors, or gameplay systems
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5) and Blueprint scripting
• Demonstrates potential through portfolio work, with a focus on implementation
• Eagerness to learn, take feedback, and grow within a collaborative team

• 2–5+ years of experience in combat or gameplay design
• Portfolio demonstrating implemented creature behaviors and combat encounters
• Strong working knowledge of Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5), including animation systems and state machines
• Proficiency with Blueprint scripting to implement gameplay systems
• Ability to own features from concept through iteration and polish
• Solid understanding of combat feel, AI behaviors, and animation fundamentals
• 5+ years of professional experience in combat or systems design
• Shipped at least one title with meaningful contribution to combat or AI systems
• Deep understanding of creature design, combat mechanics, and player experience
• Advanced experience with Unreal Engine systems, including optimization and technical constraints
• Ability to lead features, mentor other designers, and drive quality across systems
• Strong cross-disciplinary collaboration and problem‑solving skills

• 8+ years of experience with a focus on combat systems or AI-driven gameplay
• Multiple shipped titles with significant ownership of combat or creature systems
• Proven ability to define and drive combat design vision at a system or project level
• Establishes best practices, pipelines, and long-term direction for combat design
• Mentors across the discipline and influences both creative and technical decision-making
• Balances high-level vision with hands‑on execution when needed

• Strong technical understanding of Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5), especially animation systems and state machines
• Experience working with 3D game engines and understanding of game development pipelines
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across disciplines
• Ability to iterate quickly without compromising quality
• Strong problem‑solving, time management, and organizational skills
• Adaptability in a fast‑paced, evolving development environment
• Self‑motivated with the ability to work independently
• Must be based in the U.S. and legally authorized to work without sponsorship

• Animation experience, especially related to creature behaviors
• Shipped a AA/AAA title (For Mid, Senior, Principal Levels)
• Experi…