Ability to work hybrid from our Santa Monica, CA based studio is required.

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 Part I is now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: 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.

In service of these goals, Naughty Dog is growing our design team!

What You Will Do

Design high quality layouts for your levels, blocking out simplified geometry to create engaging environments
Develop level composition, architectural concepts, and create evocative shapes in collaboration with the art department
Create scenarios, place game objects, and implement level progression using game editor tools
Produce and maintain documentation that establishes the core concepts of your level
Drive communication and collaboration for spaces you design as well as other parts of the game, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlines
Effective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departments
Coordinate extensive playtesting, reviews, and iteration
Additional Responsibilities may be assigned as needed

What Skills You Will Use

5 years of industry experience in Level Design for games
Experience blocking out environments for games using 3D software packages such as Maya, Unreal Editor or otherwise, that exemplify understanding of level design fundamentals
Experience using a game editor such as Unreal Editor and scripting/programming using a language such as C#, Lua, Python, Visual Scripting
Welcomes feedback on their work and embraces the “let’s try it” mentality.
Proficient and effective communication skills
Welcomes criticism and has experience collaborating as part of a team, innovating without losing sight of the gameplay vision
Understanding the single player gaming landscape
Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trends
Strong leadership and mentoring skills
Experience working on action-adventure games, 3rd person or 1st person
Understanding of narrative concepts and/or experience in writing, film, or theater
Understanding of art composition, architectural concepts, and an ability to create evocative shapes
2+ shipped games in the role

As a part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates may be asked to complete a Level Design Test.

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.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.

Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

In addition, this role is eligible for SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products. This role also may be eligible for a bonus package. Click here to learn more.

The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.

$143,700—$179,600 USD

Seniority level
Mid-Senior level
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology
Industries
Computer Games

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