3D Character Animator

As a 3D Character Animator, you’ll take a leading role in animating the whole cast of characters present in our new mobile title. You will be responsible for adding nuance and personality through their movements, gestures, facial expressions, and how they interact and react with their surroundings. You will collaborate closely with game designers and artists to ensure that your animations support gameplay and boost player engagement and retention. This is a rare opportunity to join a small, agile team inside one of the world’s most successful gaming companies, with the creative freedom of a startup and the backing of a global leader.

Responsibilities:

• Lead 3D Character Animation from concept to final implementation, creating a lively and vivid cast of characters for our players to love.
• Create visually appealing and rewarding animations that align with the game’s feel direction and brand identity.
• Collaborate with UX/UI designers, artists, and developers to ensure seamless integration of your animations in the game engine.
• Create a library of animations for research and/or future implementations.
• Work closely with the art director to maintain visual consistency and improve the overall aesthetic quality.
• Optimize animations for different screen resolutions and mobile platforms.
• Stay up to date on animations found in casual mobile games and other platforms while continually pushing for innovation and excellence.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience as a 3D Character Animator or similar role in the mobile and/or AAA gaming industry (casual games experience highly preferred).
• Strong portfolio showcasing high-quality animations for mobile and/or AAA titles from concept to final in-game execution.
• Expert in one or several software such as Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder, Spine, Unity, and other animation tools.
• Highly experienced in rigging and working with 3D models.
• Strong understanding of acting, human and animal anatomy to create believable, empathetic characters (how limbs move, the effect of weight, miscellaneous muscle contractions, etc.).
• Great instinct for timing and movement.
• Capable of replicating a known character personality from an existing IP and transpose it to a new media.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills you thrive in a small, fast-moving team.
• Experience working closely with developers and familiarity with implementation constraints in Unity or similar engines.
• Familiarity with AI tools usage

Nice to Have

• Capable of animating props and other game elements.
• Familiarity with Unity UI workflows.
• Passion for games and player psychology.