Principal Gameplay Animator
Core
Define and deliver animation quality, style, and feel for a AAA open world action-adventure game by creating gameplay animations and establishing standards.
Role type
Principal Gameplay Animator (Senior IC with leadership)
Builds
AAA open world action-adventure game
Domain
Video Games / Animation
Deliverable
production ML models | product features
Required skills
Keyframe animation, Motion capture, Anatomy and motion understanding, Unreal Engine 5 animation systems, Animation Blueprints, State Machines, Blend Spaces, Control Rig, Motion Matching workflows, Maya proficiency, Pipeline and tool development
Preferred skills
Creature animation, Complex character rigs, Traversal and combat animation, Procedural animation, Physics-driven systems, External vendor management
Technologies
Maya, Unreal Engine 5, Animation Blueprints, Control Rig
Responsibilities
Create high-quality gameplay animations for characters, creatures, and objects; Drive development of locomotion, traversal, combat, and interaction content; Collaborate with Animation Director to define style and direction; Partner with Design and Engineering to implement animation systems; Work with Technical Animation to improve pipelines and tools; Mentor other animators; Ensure animations meet performance and memory constraints.
Seniority
Principal, hands-on IC with mentorship