Who We Are

We are Skybound.

We love creators. We love fans. We love thrilling games, indelible images and moving stories. Our roots are in comics, but our brands extend to video games, television, movies, merchandise, and live experiences. We take special pride in original tales, fresh characters, and diverse voices.

From well-known franchises to freshly-minted originals, we offer the chance to join brilliant creators shaping a new generation of entertainment in a concentrated, agile environment where every perspective matters, and any idea can create a breakthrough.

Opportunity

Skybound is looking for an inventive and ambitious Combat Designer to help build an exciting, character-focused game franchise. As a Combat Designer, you’ll work closely with the design, engineering and animation teams to create fresh, innovative, and impactful combat. The ideal candidate will be passionate about bringing amazing gameplay and player empowerment from concept to completion.

As a Combat Designer, you will design character abilities to be challenging, unique, and balanced with a variety of opponents. You will conceive of mechanics to contribute to depth, variety, and a host of meta-tactics that contribute to the game’s durability. You will work in UE5, design tools, and scripting systems to implement, test, refine, polish and tune combat to a knife’s edge. As a team member, you will work constantly to foster an inclusive, empowering environment, always focused on delivering player fun. If you are looking for a team with combat DNA, this may be the role for you!

Reports: This position will report to the Lead Combat Designer

Responsibilities: Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Work collaboratively with design, animation, and engineering teams
• Conceive, implement and polish character vs. character combat
• Help translate timing, distance, and other functional criteria into a visual language that results in clear, responsive, fun gameplay
• Work with engineers to create custom functionality for new characters
• Script gameplay logic and integrate animations into the player experience
• Work in an iterative manner; playtest often, incorporate feedback, and improve your work
• Refine, tune, and balance your work to create highly polished combat experiences

• 2+ years as a Combat or Gameplay Designer
• Experience implementing and tuning animation and timing windows for attacks, blocks, branching actions, hit reactions and other related combat actions
• Experience scripting combat in LUA or similar framework
• Experience conceiving and differentiating characters, developing signature moves, and balancing asymmetrical fighter types
• Experience working across disciplines, including animation, art, VFX, audio and engineering to produce a great result
• Outstanding written and verbal communication and collaboration skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience and love of combat driven by unique character based abilities
• Direct experience and understanding of key distinctions of 2D & 3D combat games
• Strong technical scripting skills and ability to learn new technologies
• Strong animation understanding and fluency
• Unreal Engine experience
• Passion for video game development, combat-oriented games, and Skybound properties

Job Type: Regular, Full-Time

Salary Range: $75,000-90,000

• Actual base salary is dependent on several factors including but not limited to; market dynamics, location and region, experience, specialized skills/training (education), level of responsibility, budgetary considerations, tenure at the company (for current employees), etc.
• The salary range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees.
• Compensation decisions are dependent on the circumstances of each role.

Skybound offers a wide array of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, as well as free counseling through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). We also offer a 401K plan with 4% match, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, generous time off, wellness benefits, and tuition reimbursement. This role may also qualify for a possible discretionary bonus annually.

Company Overview

Skybound is a multiplatform content company working closely with creators and their intellectual properties, extending stories and universes to new platforms, including comics, television, film, tabletop and video games, books, digital content, events, and beyond. We are home to critically-acclaimed global franchises, including The Walking Dead and Invincible.

Skybound Games produces, publishes and distributes video and tabletop games across all genres, including the multi-million-unit selling The Walking Dead video game series. In addition to our wholly-owned franchises, we work with independent developers to foster and create original games with compelling characters and worlds, strong creator and artistic focus, and innovative approaches to engaging genres.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Skybound we value diversity and are looking for extraordinary employees of all backgrounds! Skybound is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, citizenship, age, genetic information, disability, hair texture or veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, Skybound complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination.

Skybound will consider applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the CA Fair Chance Act and Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.