Heart Machine

Gameplay Animator

Lead / Senior Designer

Join the visual arts team at Heart Machine to bring life and character to our games, leveraging your strong eye for timing, pose, and weight, and a keen understanding of the intersection between player intention and character emotion. Bring your ambitious creative spirit to the production of Hyper Light Breaker and future projects. The role involves creating hand-keyed character and prop animations, working in an iterative workflow with the animation team, authoring animation assets in 3D Animation software (e.g. Autodesk Maya), providing feedback to other animators, and integrating animations into the game engine. This role also requires monitoring, reporting, and troubleshooting technical issues.

<section class="job-section" id="st-companyDescription"><div><p class="googlejobs-paragraph--empty"></p><h2 class="title">Company Description</h2></div><div class="wysiwyg"><p>Heart Machine is a diverse team of passionate game developers working to create uniquely engaging worlds that are greater than the sum of their parts. We’re based in Los Angeles, but we have team members all across the globe.</p><p>We believe different perspectives contribute not only to more meaningful games but to a healthier and more sustainable team as well. As the studio grows, we are committed to maintaining a welcoming environment where all voices are valued.</p><p>We’re ambitious and work hard, but health is an essential value at Heart Machine. We aren’t a crunch factory: we’re committed to building a culture of healthy work-life balance.</p><p>We’re looking for talented individuals who share these values to collaborate with us on amazing, unique games.</p></div></section><section class="job-section" id="st-jobDescription"><div><p class="googlejobs-paragraph--empty"></p><h2 class="title">Job Description</h2></div><div class="wysiwyg" itemprop="responsibilities"><p>Intro</p><p>Join the visual arts team at Heart Machine to bring life and character to our games, leveraging your strong eye for timing, pose, and weight, and a keen understanding of the intersection between player intention and character emotion. Bring your ambitious creative spirit to the production of Hyper Light Breaker and future projects.</p><p>We are looking for people with a broad skillset that are comfortable working on the full spectrum of gameplay animations for players, enemies, and cinematics.</p><p></p><p>Who are we?</p><p>The Heart Machine animation team is a small team of around a half-dozen, based across the US and Europe with a broad variety of backgrounds and experiences. We’re professional, but know that the process of making games ought to be fun.</p><p></p><p>Responsibilities</p><ul><li>Create hand-keyed character and prop animations that match that visual style of the project, and meet the gameplay needs.<ul><li>Work with the animation team in an iterative workflow to establish characterization, choreography, and timing of each move.</li></ul></li><li>Author animation assets from source in 3D Animation software (e.g. Autodesk Maya) through to basic implementation in Unreal.</li><li>Provide feedback to other animators via text over Slack, and through regular group review sessions over video conferencing and screen-sharing software (e.g. discord).</li><li>Work with Design and Engineering on the integration of character and prop animations into the game engine<ul><li>Assist with monitoring, reporting, and troubleshooting of any technical issues that might arise (i.e. reporting and fixing bugs).</li></ul></li></ul><p>&nbsp;</p></div></section><section class="job-section" id="st-qualifications"><div><p class="googlejobs-paragraph--empty"></p><h2 class="title">Qualifications</h2></div><div class="wysiwyg" itemprop="qualifications"><ul><li>Artistic Abilities:<ul><li>A strong demo reel that demonstrates expert knowledge of body mechanics and acting skills.</li><li>Able to demonstrate a solid understanding of gameplay systems and game feel.</li><li>Able to demonstrate a basic understanding of cinematic principles.<ul><li>e.g. composition, editing, lens selection, etc.</li></ul></li></ul></li><li>Technical Abilities:<ul><li>High level of comfort in Autodesk Maya.</li><li>Intermediate knowledge of game production pipelines.<ul><li>Export/import</li><li>Notifies / NoteTracks</li><li>Additive animation setup</li><li>Blendspace (or equivalent) setup</li></ul></li><li>Working knowledge of Source Control.<ul><li>Familiarity with Depots, Workspaces, and Changelists.</li></ul></li><li>Experience with Task Tracking or Bug databases.<ul><li>e.g. Jira, HackNPlan, Asana, Shotgrid, Mantis, Devtrack, etc.</li></ul></li><li>Willingness &amp; aptitude to learn</li></ul></li><li>Interpersonal Skills:<ul><li>The ability to receive feedback in a constructive manner, and apply the feedback to the animations.</li><li>Must practice empathy towards others, and understand that everyone has good days and bad.</li><li>Must be able to communicate clearly and effectively, and demonstrate some ability to adapt to different communication styles.<ul><li>e.g. the way we communicate to other Animators is potentially different from how we might communicate with VFX Artist, Audio, Designers, or Engineers.</li></ul></li><li>Must be able to manage one’s own time effectively—to not get bogged-down in details, nor fail to put in the effort where more might needed.</li><li>Should be able to follow good organizational practices:<ul><li>Ability to follow established file naming and directory guidelines conventions.</li><li>Ability to organize their scene file(s) so that others may be able to open the file and work from it effectively.</li><li>Ability to update tasks and bugs in tracking software in a timely manner.</li></ul></li><li>Possess the shonen protag-like drive and talent needed to produce and implement the highest quality work.</li><li>Ability to make noises appropriate to the action you’re trying to illustrate, e.g. whooshes, blips, boops, and kachows.</li></ul></li><li>Penchant for practical innovation and the ability to bring new ideas to the table.</li><li>Passion for video games.</li></ul><p></p><p><strong>Preferred Experience</strong></p><ul><li>Personal animation work.</li><li>2D animation skills.</li><li>Significant contribution to a released game or animation project in Unreal Engine.</li><li>Basic modeling, rigging, or Python scripting.</li><li>Working knowledge of “other” 3D Animation software:<ul><li>3DS Max, Blender, Motionbuilder, Softimage, etc.</li></ul></li></ul><p></p></div></section><section class="job-section" id="st-additionalInformation"><div><p class="googlejobs-paragraph--empty"></p><h2 class="title">Additional Information</h2></div><div class="wysiwyg" itemprop="incentives"><p><strong>Salary</strong></p><p>In the United States, the standard base pay range for this role we have estimated is $80k - $110k Annual. This base pay range is for the U.S. and is not applicable to locations outside of the U.S. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. In addition to base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed.</p><p><strong>Benefits</strong></p><ul><li>Competitive pay through bonus structures</li><li>Medical, dental, and vision coverage</li><li>401k</li><li>Flex PTO policy and 10 Federal holidays annually</li><li>Paid parental leave</li></ul><p><strong>Location</strong></p><p>Flexibility to work remotely</p><p><strong>Full-Time with Flexible Hours</strong></p><p>Most staff maintain hours around 9a-6p PST. So long as you get the work done and are there for the meetings you are needed in, we trust you to manage your own time however makes sense to you.</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></section>

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<div><strong>Our Story:</strong></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At DECK 13 Interactive, we’re more than just a game development studio—we’re a diverse, passionate community of creators dedicated to crafting unforgettable gaming experiences. Since our founding in 2001, in the heart of Frankfurt, Germany, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in PC and console games. Now part of the PulluP Entertainment group, our team of around 100 talented professionals continues to shape the future of gaming.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We’re the minds behind titles like <em>Lords of the Fallen</em>, <em>The Surge</em> series, and <em>Atlas Fallen</em>, known for their rich worlds and immersive gameplay. But we believe the best games are still ahead of us, and that’s where you come in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your Quest:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As our <strong>Senior Game Programmer (f/m/x), </strong>you’ll play a key role in designing and implementing innovative systems and features across Unreal Engine 5, our development tools, and gameplay. Collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams, you’ll develop and maintain core engine components, enhance our development tools, and implement compelling gameplay mechanics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You'll thrive in this role if you're a generalist programmer who genuinely enjoys wearing many hats, making especially significant contributions to gameplay and animation programming.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This role will put you at the heart of transforming creative concepts into technical realities. Your expertise will be essential to developing innovative visions and crafting impactful next-generation gaming experiences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Your mission includes:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Designing, implementing, and maintaining systems across Unreal Engine, development tools, and gameplay and animation features, ensuring performance, scalability, and stability</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Collaborating with designers, animators, and other teams to align technical solutions with the creative vision of the project</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Implementing and maintaining State Machines, Blendspaces, IK-Systems, and Montages within gameplay, and procedural and dynamic animation systems for adaptive in-game behavior (e.g., foot IK, reactive hit animations, Lipsync)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Utilizing visual scripting systems to develop and implement features</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Developing and maintaining efficient and user-friendly tools and workflows</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Debugging and resolving technical issues across engine, tools, gameplay, and animation systems</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Providing mentorship and sharing technical expertise with team members, fostering growth and maintaining coding standards</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Evaluating and optimizing workflows to support sustainable development practices for art, audio, gameplay, and animation features</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Staying informed about emerging industry trends and technologies, contributing to innovative advancements in game development</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your Toolkit:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Proficiency in C++ programming with a strong understanding of programming principles and system design</li><li style="text-align: justify;">4+ years of professional experience in game programming using Unreal Engine, encompassing engine-level work, tools development, and gameplay implementation</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Experience developing custom tools and editor extensions for Unreal Engine</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Significant experience with visual scripting systems, like Unreal Engine Blueprints</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Strong experience with Animation Blueprints, Control Rig, State Machines, and Blendspaces</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Knowledge of procedural animation and dynamic real-time animation systems</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Proven ability to debug, optimize, and maintain high-performance, scalable systems across engine, tools, and gameplay</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams and convey complex concepts clearly</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Demonstrated success in shipping at least one game title, with a passion for creating engaging and polished gameplay experiences</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>You Get Extra XP for:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Familiarity with additional programming languages, like C# or Python</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Experience contributing to open-source projects or releasing independent game projects</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Deep knowledge of Unreal Engine architecture</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Advanced knowledge of AI systems, including behavior trees and decision-making frameworks, or advanced animation systems and their integration with gameplay</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cross-platform development experience, with a focus on optimizing for multiple platforms across engine, tools, and gameplay</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Experience working with and integrating motion capture systems, both real-time and post-processed</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Familiarity with MetaHuman systems and workflows</li><li style="text-align: justify;">A strong passion for gaming and game development, alongside a commitment to tracking industry trends and advancements in engine technology</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Power-Ups You Receive:</strong>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At DECK 13 Interactive, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in creating an environment where you feel valued, supported, and empowered to do your best work. 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We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other characteristic that makes you unique.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We believe that diverse teams create the best games, and we’re dedicated to building a workplace where everyone can thrive.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

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This assessment gives us an idea of your C++ skills- Companies that evaluate this skillset in interviews: Rockstar Games, Ubisoft, Mayhem Studios, etc.- 10 Multiple Choice questions- Average time to complete: 7 to 10 minutes

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