Gameplay Animator

ART

What We Do

Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.

What You'll Do

The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games are collaborating on an all-new games and entertainment universe.

In addition to being a world-class games experience, this new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, and engage with content, characters, and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.

Players, gamers, and fans of all kinds will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. Come join us in creating the future of interactive entertainment.

Epic Games is searching for Gameplay Animators to join our team to work on our collaboration with Disney. You'll create original animation with a strong emphasis on style and appeal that's grounded in realistic world physics. A great understanding is needed of the fundamentals of animation and how they relate to game animation and the ability to implement animations in the Unreal 5 game engine using our animation blueprint system. A strong sense of gameplay feel and timing in relation to game design principles.

In this role, you will

• Create character-specific animations such as gameplay animations in Unreal Engine using our Control Rig toolset
• Take animation from initial concept through implementation in Unreal Engine 5 using our animation blueprint system
• Drive collaboration across disciplines, including Production, Design, Technical Animation, Technical Design, and implementation to help drive the style and feel of best-in-class animation
• Collaborate with leads in a dailies style critique environment, find optimal solutions, and address basic issues as they arise
• Refine animations and gameplay feel as needed to get the best quality animation within the timeline

What we're looking for

• Expertise in gameplay animation, ideally with a strong background in stylized key frame animation and a proven track record to deliver exaggerated gameplay character animations.
• Maintain a detailed understanding of current and emerging animation technologies (Unreal engine, Motion Matching, State machines, State graphs, etc.)
• Passion for gaming and a strong understanding of game design principles, player psychology, and user experience fundamentals.
• Knowledge of game, narrative design, and 3Cs as it pertains to gameplay animation.
• A strong animation reel showing expertise in key-framed character and creature animation
• Relevant experience in both gameplay and cinematic animation
• Good instincts for realistic and stylized motions
• Familiarity with Maya and Unreal Engine 5 art pipeline
• Understanding of modeling, skinning, and rigging
• Experience working with Motion Capture is a plus
• Experience with working on hard surface or vehicle animation is a plus

This role is open to multiple locations in North America (including CA & WA).

Pay Transparency Information

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren’t limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic’s generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).