Electronic Arts (EA) · 2 months ago
Lead AI Designer (Apex Legends)
Los Angeles, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$150K/yr - $228K/yr
7+ years expElectronic Arts is a company that creates next-level entertainment experiences, and they are seeking a Lead AI Designer to join their team at Respawn Entertainment. This role involves defining and driving the vision for AI systems and behaviors in Apex Legends, leading a team to create intelligent and immersive gameplay experiences.
ComputerMobilePublishingVideo GamesWeb Development
Responsibilities
Define the creative and technical vision for AI design (enemy, ally, training and NPC behaviors) across all modes of Apex Legends
Lead the cross-disciplinary AI team to execute that creative vision across all Apex gameplay experiences and modes
Design and tune AI systems including perception, combat logic, navigation, coordination, and decision-making frameworks
Establish reusable AI archetypes, behavior trees, and encounter templates that support a range of combat scenarios
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of AI designers; provide clear goals, feedback, and support career development
Collaborate cross-discipline with engineering, animation, and level design to ensure AI systems integrate smoothly into the overall player experience
Own the quality of AI combat and systemic behaviors, ensuring they meet performance, difficulty, and fun targets
Collaborate with partner teams (User Research/Analytics/Playtests) to optimize the AI experience
Work in a live game environment partnering with production to plan and manage a live service development schedule and release plan
Qualification
Required
7+ years of professional game design experience, with at least 2 shipped AAA titles (preferably shooters or action games)
Deep understanding of combat AI, behavior systems and group coordination in shooter gameplay
Proven experience designing AI for FPS or third-person shooters
Experience with AI scripting tools, visual behavior trees, and debugging environments
Strong cross-disciplinary communication skills and a track record of collaborating effectively with engineering and animation teams
Passion for emergent gameplay, player agency, and creating AI that feels alive and reactive
Quality-first mentality. No ego, just a commitment to get to the best quality experience in-game
Preferred
Live service development experience is an asset but not required
Benefits
Paid time off (3 weeks per year to start)
80 hours per year of sick time
16 paid company holidays per year
10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby
Medical/dental/vision insurance
Life insurance
Disability insurance
401(k)
Vacation (3 weeks per year to start)
10 days per year of sick time
Paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave)
Extended health/dental/vision coverage
Life insurance
Disability insurance
Retirement plan
Company
Electronic Arts (EA)
Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Electronic Arts (EA) has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (139)
2024 (105)
2023 (207)
2022 (233)
2021 (198)
2020 (145)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$2.2MKey Investors
TCVTrip Hawkins
2025-09-29Private Equity
2025-09-29Acquired
2019-01-01Post Ipo Equity
Leadership Team
Michael Robinson
SVP EA Digital Platform
Farah Ali
VP and Technology Growth Strategy
Recent News
2026-01-11
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