Senior Combat Designer, Systems - World of Warcraft | Irvine, CA

Team Name: World of Warcraft

Job Title:

Senior Combat Designer, Systems - World of Warcraft | Irvine, CA

Requisition ID:

R027923

Job Description:

Combat designers on World of Warcraft help to create the connection between the player and the world of Azeroth by working on the minute-to-minute gameplay and create fun and engaging abilities and mechanics to deliver engaging and fluid combat. As a Senior Combat Designer for the World of Warcraft team, you must have a strong aptitude for critical thinking and investigation, boundless creativity, a strong visual aesthetic, and a passion and recognition for what makes World of Warcraft classes and combat interesting. You will contribute to the ongoing development of player spells, talents, game balance and tuning, and any related systems.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

What you bring to the table:

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced live service environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Build upon existing class fantasies by designing new and interesting spells and talents for players to use in various combat situations.
• Stay current of player expectations, perceptions, and behaviors with regards to class design and game balance.
• Work closely with the production team to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
• Collaborate with fellow designers, producers, artists, sound designers, and engineers to create interesting and fun spells and talents.
• Participate in and contribute to a culture of inclusion and diversity.

Minimum Requirements:

Experience:

• 8+ years of game design experience or a portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated experience with game development best practices in a professional or academic setting.
• Experience designing class abilities or combat mechanics in open world RPG’s or MMO’s.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Familiarity with World of Warcraft classes and specializations.
• Proficient knowledge with industry standard tools such as Excel, game engines, and other proprietary tools required.
• Creative thinker who enjoys finding fun solutions to design problems.
• Ability to break down what makes combat in World of Warcraft fun, accessible, and engaging.
• Proven experience working collaboratively cross-functionally.

Extra Points:

• Excellent communication skills that can be used for comprehensive documentation.
• Knowledge, understanding, and familiarity with the Warcraft Universe and Lore.
• The ability to consider multiple, conflicting viewpoints and make the best overall decision.

Application Materials

• Resume
• Cover Letters are not required but highly encouraged. Please include:
  • A bit about you (fun facts, hobbies... tell us about you!)
  • Why you’re interested in working on World of Warcraft
  • What excites you about game design

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. ( a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty ®, World of Warcraft® , Overwatch ®, Diablo ®, Candy Crush ™ and Bubble Witch ™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to View email address on aiapply.co. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $82,240.00 - $152,160.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.