Game Designer - Enemies & Bosses

ABOUT THIS POSITION

Are you excited about creating and designing unforgettable enemies and bosses? As a Designer specializing in Enemies and Bosses at Digital Extremes, you will play a key role in shaping the combat encounters for Warframe. Collaborating closely with design, animation, and programming teams, you will develop unique enemy behaviors and epic boss battles that push the limits of gameplay, delivering memorable encounters that keep players engaged.

Our ideal candidate is a designer who is passionate about action games, understands player feedback, and excels in crafting dynamic, complex, and memorable enemies and bosses. You will have the opportunity to innovate on existing mechanics and introduce new gameplay experiences, contributing to the evolution of Warframe's intense combat.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, prototype, and implement enemy behaviors, AI systems, and boss encounters that align with the vision of Warframe.
• Collaborate with animation, programming, and level design teams to ensure enemies and bosses are smoothly integrated and deliver a polished player experience.
• Guide and collaborate with the tools team to enhance the development flow for enemies, ensuring efficient and flexible processes for rapid iteration and testing.
• Develop and balance a diverse roster of enemies, mini-bosses, and main bosses, maintaining a consistent and engaging combat flow.
• Create compelling AI behaviors, attack patterns, and dynamic challenges for enemies and bosses, providing a fair yet exciting experience for players.
• Analyze combat data, player feedback, and internal playtests to refine and iterate on enemy and boss designs.
• Work closely with the narrative and art teams to ensure that enemies and bosses enhance the game's story and thematic elements.
• Document and communicate enemy and boss design concepts clearly, ensuring alignment across all development teams.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and innovations in enemy and boss design, bringing fresh ideas to the team.
• Participate in playtests, providing and receiving constructive feedback to continuously improve combat encounters.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• 5+ years of experience as a Combat Designer or related role in the video game industry, with a focus on enemies and bosses.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enemy AI, behaviors, and boss encounters for action-oriented games, ideally in live service or multiplayer environments.
• Must have experience working on a 1st-person or 3rd-person game.
• Strong understanding of player feedback loops, hit detection, and animation timing to create responsive and satisfying combat interactions.
• Experience with game engines and familiarity with tools for designing AI and combat encounters.
• Ability to analyze gameplay data and user feedback to inform design decisions and balance combat features.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-disciplinary teams.
• Detail-oriented and capable of managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced development environment.
• Passionate about action games and a deep understanding of what makes enemy and boss encounters engaging and memorable.
• Familiarity with Warframe’s core gameplay mechanics and combat systems.

PREFERRED EXTRAS

• Experience with live service games and an understanding of ongoing balancing and content updates.
• Expertise in melee combat design and experience working on action-combat or character-action games.
• Familiarity with Warframe’s enemy design philosophy and a strong understanding of its community and player expectations.
• Basic skills in visual scripting or prototyping tools 
• An avid gamer with a passion for creating compelling enemy and boss encounters, and a fan of Warframe or similar titles.

If you’re ready to help shape the future of combat design and craft unforgettable enemies and bosses for Warframe, we’d love to hear from you! Join us and be part of the exciting journey that captivates millions of players around the world.

ABOUT DIGITAL EXTREMES

Founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, Digital Extremes ranks as one of the world's top independent video game development studios. Originating with the co-creation of Epic Games' multi-million unit selling Unreal® franchise including Unreal and Unreal Tournament, Digital Extremes went on to develop Dark Sector®, BioShock® for the PlayStation®3, the BioShock 2 multiplayer campaign, and The Darkness® II. The studio has reached its greatest critical and commercial success with the free-to-play action game, Warframe®, boasting a global community of 75 million registered players on PC, PS4™, PS5™, Xbox One™, Xbox Series X/S™, Nintendo Switch™, and iOS™. The studio's most recently announced project is the much anticipated Soulframe®, an open-world action-fantasy MMORPG title that is currently under development.

Digital Extremes is headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada, and is proud to be selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, achieving this recognition for the last ten years in a row.

For more information and exciting news related to Digital Extremes, please visit www.digitalextremes.com.

WHY WORK AT DIGITAL EXTREMES

Our culture is centered on providing great opportunities to our employees so that everyone feels they are making a meaningful impact. Developing new and existing talent is our long-term focus. We are honored that our work environment has been consistently recognized as one of “Canada’s Top 100 Employers”. We summon you to join our elite team!

The rewards of a career with Digital Extremes include:

• Competitive salary with potential bonus opportunities
• Excellent benefits and paid time off
• Matching RRSP or Simple IRA 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Virtual access to Dialogue or Magellan, our mental wellness and healthcare services app
• Professional development and career support
• Work-life balance wellness subsidies
• Be part of “Giving Back” through a multitude of fundraising venues at DE
• Employee events and team building exercises

Please note, some benefits may be subject to eligibility for employees.

JOIN US

Digital Extremes is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment process. We thank you for your interest, however, only those candidates selected for the next steps in the hiring process will be contacted.