Lead Gameplay Designer (Melee Combat)

Location: Remote within Europe or based in the West Midlands, UK. Fully remote working is available in Europe. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Company

hirify.global is an independent game developer studio based just outside Birmingham, creating games with studios and publisher partners.

What you will do

• Own melee combat design from paper concepts through prototyping, production, implementation and final polish, setting direction with the Game Director.
• Build, test, debug and refine combat directly in Unreal Engine with programmers and the Senior Technical Animator.
• Design player movesets, abilities, enemy behaviours, bosses and combat encounters for meaningful solo and co-op gameplay.
• Tune attacks, combos, defensive actions, hit reactions, targeting, animation timing, transitions, responsiveness, spacing and combat flow.
• Use focused prototypes, playtesting and iteration to sustain combat variety and evolving tactical challenges throughout the game.
• Lead by example and potentially recruit, mentor and manage a combat design team as development grows.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional experience designing melee combat, including ownership of combat systems on at least one shipped title.
• Expert practical knowledge of Unreal Engine, strong Blueprint skills, and the ability to independently build, debug and tune character combat.
• Strong working knowledge of Unreal animation systems, including Animation Blueprints, state machines, blend spaces, montages, animation notifies, root motion, motion matching, motion warping, IK and Control Rig.
• Ability to adjust animation implementation and timing with animation specialists to improve combat feel.
• Strong understanding of player combat, enemy design and encounter balance, including anticipation, impact, recovery and combat rhythm.
• Experience designing and balancing multiplayer combat, with an understanding of co-op challenges.
• Ability to create combat variety and sustain player interest across a full game.
• Creative, experimental approach supported by sound judgement and willingness to test, adapt or discard ideas.
• Ability to lead from the front, take ownership, work independently, communicate clearly and collaborate across disciplines.

Nice to have

• Experience with Unreal’s Gameplay Ability System and networked gameplay systems.
• Experience shipping a game with both solo and co-op combat.
• Experience growing, mentoring or managing a design team.
• Familiarity with animation production and motion capture workflows.
• C++ experience, particularly within Unreal Engine.

Culture & Benefits

• Fully remote working within Europe, flexible core hours and a friendly, nurturing work environment.
• Private health and dental care, 20 days of annual leave plus additional leave over the Christmas period.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Gamepass or PS Plus subscription.
• Team socials and events, including board game nights, charity fundraisers and two company-wide parties with expenses paid.
• Opportunities to work on market-leading titles and IP with reputable studios and publisher partners.
• Learning opportunities across a wide range of projects in a sustainably growing independent studio.

Hiring process

• Submit a portfolio and cover letter, preferably with an online portfolio or a showreel via a secure sharing platform.
• Provide examples of designed and implemented melee combat systems, ideally including footage from a shipped game, with your contribution, design decisions and playtesting process explained.