Lead Combat Designer 12 Month FTC - Studio Elevation (Remote within the UK)

nDreams Studio Elevation are re-establishing the boundaries of VR. We are looking for an expectantly talented Lead Designer who will create immersive and dynamic combat sequences that elevate the player's experience for our VR games.  

As a Lead Designer, you’ll play a key role in crafting the exciting combat experience. Working closely with the design director, programmers and animators to fine tune combat systems. Ensuring they meet the game’s creative vision while also delivering fun and dynamic combat.  

The rundown:  

• 12 month fixed term contract  

• Full time (37.5 hours per week) 

• Fully remote within the UK 

• Salary is competitive and dependent on experience 

Key responsibilities: 

• Lead the design implementation and balancing of core combat systems. 

• Define combat metrics, working with level designers to shape venues for combat that adhere to and reinforce those metrics.  

• Promote player-centric designs, ensuring combat elements are intuitive, engaging, and rewarding. 

• Proactively champion the combat design and its requirements throughout the team. 

• Coordinate the work of designers, working with production to define milestones and assign tasks.  

• Drive innovation in combat design, exploring new ideas and approaches to create a unique and memorable combat experience. 

• Create and maintain detailed design documentation for combat features and systems 

• Collaborate closely with animators, gameplay programmers, and other teams to prototype and implement combat features.  

The skills you’ll need:  

• 5+ years’ experience in the games industry as a game designer, with a specific focus on combat design. 

• Extensive knowledge of Unreal. 

• Rich understanding of how to create challenging combat encounters for different player skill levels and familiarities. 

• Comprehensive understanding of combat game design principles. Able to skillfully balance gameplay elements with an optimal combat experience.  

• Ability to work well independently and within a team.  

• Excellent written and verbal communication, documentation skills and the ability to convey abstract concepts.

The nice to haves:  

• Understanding of what does and doesn't work in VR compared to flatscreen games. 

• Willingness to go hands-on in engine to tune combat systems to prove out a design. 

• Awareness of AI systems and approaches to effectively liaise with technical teams.  

We are nDreams – we develop and publish the world’s most immersive VR games. You may know us as the developer behind Synapse, Phantom: Covert Ops, Fracked, and Frenzies. As a publisher, we have also supported the release of other studio’s titles including Little Cities, PowerWash Simulator VR, and Vendetta Forever. With humble beginnings as an independent studio, we combine amazing projects with a personal, caring touch. We’ve got more incredible titles to be announced soon! 

We believe the best workplaces and games are created by diverse, happy and safe teams. We're committed to building a culture centred on respect, wellbeing and balance. It's crucial we make our games and industry more accessible to underrepresented communities. We strive to live this through the people we hire, the experiences we create and the causes we support. 

We want everyone to have the opportunity to bring their best, authentic self to work. Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments during the interview process by emailing interviewing@ndreams.com or speaking to your nDreams recruiter. For more information about reasonable adjustments, check out this guidance from Scope.  

We offer great perks, including flexible hours, duvets days, your birthday off, dedicated personal development time and support, as well as regular socials. Beyond this, there’s an excellent holiday offering, pension scheme, health insurance, life cover and much more.