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.
Role:Gunfire Games is seeking an Encounter Designer to craft compelling and immersive combat experiences in our upcoming titles. This role will be responsible for designing, implementing, and refining creature encounters, ensuring a balance of challenge, storytelling, and cinematic spectacle. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of enemy behavior, AI systems, and combat mechanics, combined with a keen eye for animation and visual storytelling. A successful candidate will have a deep knowledge of encounter pacing, AI design, and scripting, with a passion for creating memorable, dynamic battles that elevate player immersion. This role requires both technical skill and artistic sensibility, as the designer will work closely with animators, combat designers, level designers, and engineers to bring creatures and encounters to life. Position may be performed remotely (within the United States) although ability to be on-site is preferred.

What you’ll do:

• Design, implement, and refine thrilling and cinematic enemy encounters that align with the game’s creative vision.
• Collaborate with combat designers, AI engineers, and animators to develop intelligent and dynamic creature behaviors.
• Utilize Unreal Engine 5 (Blueprints, State Machines, AI Behavior Trees, etc.) to create, iterate, and balance enemy engagements.
• Define and iterate on encounter pacing, difficulty curves, and enemy group compositions to provide engaging gameplay experiences.
• Work closely with level designers to integrate encounters seamlessly into world spaces, ensuring a natural flow in level progression.
• Utilize animation principles and visual storytelling to craft dynamic, memorable fights that showcase the personality and behaviors of creatures.
• Playtest and refine encounters based on internal feedback and player testing, ensuring a smooth and polished combat experience.
• Optimize enemy behavior and encounter performance within technical constraints.

Who you are:

• An experienced game designer with 3+ years focused on AI/Encounter Design, or Combat Design.
• Proficient in Unreal Engine 4/5, with hands-on expertise in Blueprint scripting, Behavior Trees, AI state machines, and animation systems.
• Deeply knowledgeable about combat mechanics, enemy AI, and creature behavior.
• A designer with a keen cinematic eye, capable of crafting visually compelling and dynamic enemy engagements.
• Skilled at balancing encounters for challenge, pacing, and player engagement.
• Comfortable working with animation and technical teams to bring encounters to life with high-quality animations and VFX.
• A strong problem solver who can iterate quickly without compromising quality.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently while thriving in a collaborative team environment.
• You’re eligible to work in the USA without employer sponsorship for an indefinite amount of time.

Bonus XP:

• Experience working on AA/AAA titles with strong combat and enemy encounter design.
• Background in animation or cinematics, especially related to creature combat.
• Knowledge of scripting languages beyond Blueprints (e.g., Python, C++, etc.).
• Experience designing bosses or large-scale set-piece encounters.
• Strong understanding of player psychology and how to craft engaging, varied combat experiences.

The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive, and the hired applicant may be asked to undertake additional tasks as reasonably expected.
Pay range: $70,000 - $140,000. Title level and base pay offered will be based on candidate’s skills, experience, and other professional considerations.

• Design, implement, and refine thrilling and cinematic enemy encounters that align with the game’s creative vision.
• Collaborate with combat designers, AI engineers, and animators to develop intelligent and dynamic creature behaviors.
• Utilize Unreal Engine 5 (Blueprints, State Machines, AI Behavior Trees, etc.) to create, iterate, and balance enemy engagements.
• Define and iterate on encounter pacing, difficulty curves, and enemy group compositions to provide engaging gameplay experiences.
• Work closely with level designers to integrate encounters seamlessly into world spaces, ensuring a natural flow in level progression.
• Utilize animation principles and visual storytelling to craft dynamic, memorable fights that showcase the personality and behaviors of creatures.
• Playtest and refine encounters based on internal feedback and player testing, ensuring a smooth and polished combat experience.
• Optimize enemy behavior and encounter performance within technical constraints