Archetype Entertainment is a new game studio in Austin, Texas led by industry veterans from BioWare and other AAA studios. Archetype is a division of Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro). We are building a development team with world-class talent to create a new science fiction universe for our first multiplatform roleplaying video game.
Our goal is to create the greatest story-driven roleplaying games in the world.
At Archetype, we believe there will always be a place for story-driven roleplaying games that put the player at the center of an epic personal narrative with impactful choices. We are building games that represent the diversity of our audience. We also believe that game studios should empower top developers and challenge them with ambitious projects that are shaped by a strong, clearly communicated creative vision.
We chose Austin because it is a great place to live and work. Austin is the capital of Texas and is a fast-growing city with a vibrant music scene, cosmopolitan culture, a world-class university (the University of Texas at Austin -- “Hook ‘em Horns!”), and scenic rolling hills. It was recently voted the #1 place to live in America for the third year in a row — based on affordability, job prospects, and quality of life.
Archetype Entertainment seeks a passionate, experienced, and team-oriented Lead Gameplay/Combat Designer to help us build an amazing game-of-the-year caliber RPG. In this role, you will be responsible for overseeing and helping build the game’s moment-to-moment gameplay mechanics and systems, driving them from concept all the way to ship.
The ideal candidate will have proven experience leading teams and building awesome gameplay in other AAA titles, understand the intricacies of how to make a player’s action feel awesome, and be excited about the opportunity to work on a new IP from the get-go.
What You'll Do
- Own and drive the core combat and gameplay systems for our new IP
- Build and iterate on core combat systems such as weapons, abilities, player movement, cameras, and AI from concept all the way to ship
- Collaborate with other disciplines and departments, ensuring relevant stakeholders are involved and informed throughout development
- Act as strong quality advocate for team, creating compelling moment-to-moment gameplay that is Game-of-the-Year caliber and helping others on the team achieve the same high quality
- Manage a small team of gameplay/combat designers, empowering and inspiring them to do great work
- Create and maintain documentation for all owned features
- Help evangelize the game’s vision to the rest of the team at large
- Regularly play the game, providing constructive feedback and suggestions to other members of the team
- Remain up to date on industry trends and competitor games
This job description outlines primary duties and requirements and is not intended to identify all tasks that may be performed; individuals occupying the position may be required to perform other duties. The company may modify job duties from time to time, either in practice or in writing.
What You Bring
- 5+ years as Combat or Gameplay Lead with at least 2 shipped AAA titles
- Extensive knowledge of the following:
- Controls, player movement, weapons, abilities, cameras, AI, melee, vehicles, progression, game balance, exploration mechanics
- Experience working in Unreal or other modern game engine
- Experience tuning complex systems (ex – aim assist, AI Behavior trees, overall game balance)
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Self-sufficient and self-motivated, able to push features forward but also know when to ask for guidance or help
- Extra Credit:
- Experience with level design, encounter design, or layouts
- Experience with progression and difficulty systems
- Experience working on new IP from the start
We are an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.
