Middle AI/Combat Game Designer

Nekki is a game development studio with over 20 years of experience creating games for mobile, PC, and consoles, focusing on product quality and player experience. Their notable franchises include the Shadow Fight series and Vector, which have been downloaded over 1 billion times. They are currently building new titles: SPINE and Fight Me. They are looking for a Game Designer to join the Core Game Design team for their new PC/Console project SPINE, a third-person beat’em’up made with Unreal Engine 5, centered around cinematic gun-fu shootouts with a deep storyline, unique setting, cutscenes, intriguing enemies, memorable bosses, character progression, and a wide array of firearms. Depending on experience and strengths, the focus will be either combat design or gameplay AI design. Expertise in both areas is not required. Responsibilities: — Design, prototype, implement, and iterate on moment-to-moment gameplay features aligned with the game's core vision and combat direction — Translate high-level vision and combat direction into clear mechanics, rules, parameters, and actionable implementation plans — Build and tune gameplay directly in Unreal Engine 5 using Blueprints and project-specific tools — Own features from concept and prototype through testing, refinement, and final implementation — Create and maintain design documentation, diagrams, tuning tables, and implementation specifications — Organize and participate in playtests, evaluate feedback, and improve gameplay — Identify gameplay issues, investigate causes, and propose practical solutions — Collaborate with other disciplines to ensure cohesive gameplay experience — Maintain strong understanding of overall combat experience and proactively raise risks, inconsistencies, and improvement opportunities Required Skills: — At least 2 years of professional game design experience — Hands-on experience designing gameplay for action, combat-focused, or other real-time 3D games — Practical experience implementing and tuning features in Unreal Engine 4 or 5 — Solid understanding of moment-to-moment gameplay, player feedback, readability, difficulty, and game feel — Ability to take ownership of a feature from concept to polished playable result — Clear communication skills through documentation, diagrams, prototypes, and discussions — Strong analytical and problem-solving skills — Collaborative mindset and ability to give, receive, and act on feedback — Genuine interest in action games and strong understanding of modern third-person combat — English sufficient for day-to-day communication with an international development team Nice to Have: — Experience with animation-driven combat systems — Experience designing melee combat, firearms, or combined systems — Experience developing enemy archetypes, bosses, group tactics, or combat encounters