About the role
Responsibilities
- Owning and driving the quality bar for gameplay animation, with a particular focus on responsive, readable and satisfying combat.
- Creating and refining high-quality character animations using strong animation fundamentals, gameplay principles and motion-capture data.
- Shaping animation approaches that support combat design, player expression, enemy behaviours, traversal and moment-to-moment gameplay.
- Partnering closely with Design, Engineering, Art, Audio and Narrative to ensure animation enhances the overall player experience.
- Applying deep knowledge of game design mechanics, 3Cs (character, camera and controls), AI behaviour, camera animation and narrative context.
- Contributing to animation systems, state machines, blending, transitions and in-engine implementation to achieve fluid, responsive gameplay.
- Providing clear creative direction, feedback and mentorship to help raise the craft and capability of the animation team.
- Identifying opportunities to improve tools, workflows and pipelines, helping the team work more effectively at scale.
- Solving complex technical and creative challenges while balancing quality, performance and production needs.
Qualifications
- Significant gameplay animation experience, including a senior or principal-level contribution to one or more shipped titles.
- Strong combat animation skills, with experience creating impactful, responsive player and enemy combat behaviours.
- A deep understanding of combat readability, timing, anticipation, hit reactions, attack cycles, locomotion and player control.
- Experience working in game engines and contributing to animation systems and implementation.
- Strong knowledge of motion-capture pipelines, including editing, cleanup and blending mocap with keyframe animation.
- Exceptional animation fundamentals across human and creature movement, including timing, weight, balance and physicality.
- Proven experience collaborating across disciplines and influencing creative decisions at a project level.
- A thoughtful, constructive approach to giving feedback and supporting the growth of other animators.
- Advanced proficiency in Maya and the ability to adapt quickly to new tools and technologies.
- Strong technical and collaborative problem-solving skills.
Company Overview
Elsewhere Entertainment is a studio looking to shape the animation vision for an exciting new IP. Activision Blizzard is a worldwide developer, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia.
- Culture and Environment: Committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. Encourages applicants from under-represented groups to apply even if they do not meet every listed qualification.
- Mission: Striving to create iconic brands and deliver unrivaled gaming experiences.
- Franchises: Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Guitar Hero, Skylanders, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Bubble Witch.
- Recognition: Recognized as one of FORTUNE’s "100 Best Companies To Work For" for five consecutive years and included on the "Most Admired Companies" and "Future 50" lists.