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Senior Game Character Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Hasbro

Sr Game Developer - D&D

Renton, WA · Hybrid

We are seeking a Senior Game Developer to provide in-depth review and quality control of D&D ... As necessary, you'll also work to design and write meaningful portions of D&D products. If you ...

teamLFG

3D Character Art Lead

$153K - $230K/yr

Do you have a passion for how 3D character art enhances gameplay clarity, supporting players in making split-second decisions, and how character design can ignite both fandom and strategic depth?

Epic Games

Gameplay Designer

Cary, NC · On-site

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is seeking an experienced Senior ...

NetherRealm Studios (WB Games)

Designer, Combat

Chicago, IL · On-site

$159K/yr

Responsibilities : • Establishes and maintains design documentation for player character combat and enemies. • Design, implement and iterate on in-game character actions. This includes attacks ...

Epic Games

Senior Game Security Engineer

Cary, NC · On-site

What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a Senior Game Security Engineer to join our Anti-Cheat ... design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to ...

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Senior Game Character Design information

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$79.5K

$130.8K

$196K

How much do senior game character design jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior game character design in the United States is $130,762.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $107,000.00 and $150,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Game Character Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Game Character Designer, you need advanced skills in 2D/3D character design, anatomy, and digital art, usually backed by a degree in art, design, or a related field and a strong professional portfolio. Mastery of industry-standard tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, ZBrush, Maya, or Blender is typically required, along with experience in game engines like Unity or Unreal. Creativity, strong communication, and the ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams are crucial soft skills for this role. These qualifications ensure the creation of visually compelling, technically sound characters that enhance gameplay and player engagement.

What are some common challenges Senior Game Character Designers face when collaborating with other departments?

Senior Game Character Designers often collaborate closely with animators, 3D modelers, and game developers to bring characters to life. A common challenge is ensuring that creative character concepts are technically feasible within the game's engine and performance constraints. Balancing artistic vision with technical limitations requires strong communication and adaptability. Additionally, aligning character designs with narrative goals and gameplay mechanics can involve frequent revisions and cross-department feedback, making flexibility and teamwork essential skills in this role.

What are Senior Game Character Designers?

Senior Game Character Designers are experienced professionals who create and develop the visual appearance, personality, and backstory of characters for video games. They work closely with art directors, animators, and game developers to ensure characters fit the game's style and narrative. Their responsibilities include concept art, modeling, texturing, and occasionally rigging characters, as well as mentoring junior designers. Senior designers often guide the creative direction for character design and ensure consistency and quality across the project.
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Senior Game Character Design jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Game Character Design job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 75% Full Time, and 25% Part Time. Highlights an 75% In-person, and 25% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $130,762 per year, or $62.9 per hour.
Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE)

Santa Monica, CA

$145K - $181K/yr

Other

Re-posted 14 days ago

Job description

Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?

Sony Interactive Entertainment isn't just the Best Place to Play - it's also the Best Place to Work. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we're part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting-edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.

This is a hybrid/ onsite position.

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Parts I and II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we're busy at the kennel working onIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

What you will do:

  • Pitch, design, implement, and own enemy NPC archetypes
  • Work with AI programmers to develop foundational NPC technology and implementing and tuning enemy AI behaviors
  • Work with animators to develop enemy locomotion and traversal, melee moves, ambient behaviors, and other custom abilities. Make every enemy archetype feel unique and memorable
  • Collaborate with the Design team to conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systems
  • Communicate with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the enemies you're owning
  • Write and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypes
  • Drive communication and collaboration for enemies you design and the levels they are in, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlines
  • Effective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departments
  • Facilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based on player experiences
  • Mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design team

What skills you will use:

  • 5+ years of industry experience in combat design and/or technical design for games, specifically focused on developing action-adventure or shooter games
  • At least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role. Experience with behavior trees or similar NPC AI concepts preferred
  • Strong coding ability: Computer Science degree preferred though not required
  • Proficient in using game engines and tools (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) for combat implementation and design scripting (C#, Lua, Visual Scripting)
  • Welcomes feedback on their work and embraces the "let's try it" mentality
  • Proficient and effective communication skills, including diagramming and sketching
  • Fluent in modern character action-adventure and shooter combat games. Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trends
  • Knowledge of narrative structure and how it intersects with gameplay and combat
  • A keen eye for detail in character action games, able to tune gameplay systems to make them feel smooth and impactful
  • Strong leadership and mentoring skills
The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans.
$145,100-$181,400 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to ourCandidate Privacy Noticefor more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.

We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.

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