Senior AI Animator

4 Months ago • 5 Years + • Animation • $80,800 PA - $149,400 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

As a Senior AI Animator at Infinity Ward, you'll craft high-fidelity 3rd-person NPC animations for immersive combat scenarios. Responsibilities include utilizing motion capture and hand-keyed techniques in Maya, implementing animations using proprietary tools, collaborating with engineers and designers, and troubleshooting gameplay issues. You'll be a key part of a team pushing animation quality standards. The role demands 5+ years of game development experience, strong hand-keyed animation skills, proficiency in Maya and node-based graphs, and the ability to work effectively within game engine pipelines. A passion for animation and video games is essential.
Must have:
  • 5+ years game dev experience
  • High-fidelity animation creation
  • Proficient in Maya & hand-keying
  • Experience with node-based graphs
  • Game engine pipeline expertise
Perks:
  • Medical, dental, vision
  • 401k with company match
  • Paid time off
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Relocation assistance (eligible)

Job Details

Job Title:

Senior AI Animator - Infinity Ward

Requisition ID:

R022959

Job Description:

Your Platform

Founded in 2002, Infinity Ward is the original studio behind the Call of Duty® franchise. The titles developed by Infinity Ward have won more than 200 "Game of the Year" awards and 100 "Editor's Choice" awards, among many other industry accolades. Some of our previous titles include: Call of Duty®: Ghosts, Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare and most recently, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare. Infinity Ward employs more than 250 people in Woodland Hills, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles.

A critically acclaimed studio, Infinity Ward is proud to have one of the most hardworking and versatile development teams in the industry.  We love to have as much fun as the games we create, and it shows in our relaxed, yet diligent, workplace environment.  We believe that making the best games relies on having the best people, so we like to look after ours. We enjoy having fun with top-notch events that everyone gets involved with.

Infinity Ward is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at https://www.infinityward.com/, on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/InfinityWard/, and @InfinityWard on X.

Your Mission

As a Senior AI Animator, you will create high-fidelity 3rd person non player character animations that align to our pursuit of ultimate player immersion. This Immersion is achieved with animations that display realistic human motion and emotion in combat scenarios that bring our NPCs to life. The ability to analyze and de-construct the human range of motion, and implement the “feel” the project dictates, is the prime directive. You will be joining our passionate and talented team of Animators who continue pushing our standards of quality and drive, that echoes throughout our studio.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:   

  • Use motion capture and hand-keyed techniques to create high-fidelity NPC Animations that are genre-defining.
  • Implement and maintain animations using proprietary tools, always evolving the animation engine.
  • Communicate and collaborate with the most passionate team of engineers and designers to bring to life our most comprehensive NPC animation to date.

Player Profile

Experience

  • 5+ years of game development experience.

Knowledge & Skills

  • A strong ability in hand-keyed animation.
  • Strong Maya animation experience.
  • Strong experience working with node-based graphs and building gameplay systems
  • High comfort level with utilizing game engine pipelines
  • Ability to use debugging tools to identify and solve gameplay issues

Key Attributes

  • A strong passion for animation, video games, and the entertainment it inspires and draws from.
  • Possess the ability to take tasks to completion with high fidelity.
  • Collaborative ability to work with multiple people and teams to complete tasks.
  • Possess the ability to receive and address feedback.

“We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.”

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment.  We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

  • Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
  • 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
  • Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
  • Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
  • If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $80,800.00 - $149,400.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.

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About The Company

Founded in 1979, Activision continues to disrupt the world of entertainment with its extensive roster of epic blockbuster games -- Pitfall®, Tony Hawk®, Guitar Hero®, Crash Bandicoot™, Skylanders™, Bungie’s Destiny and Call of Duty.®


As the leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products on consoles, mobile and PC, our “press start” is simple: delight players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.


Activision is headquartered in Santa Monica, and publishes globally in markets including U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong and the region of Taiwan.


At Activision, we strive to connect and engage our global player community through entertainment. Our success comes from the passionate, talented and diverse team of people behind our world-class franchises. Ensuring Activision is an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive will help us deliver a new era of epic entertainment for our players.

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