Senior Gameplay Animator

Job Title:

Senior Gameplay Animator - High Moon Studios

Requisition ID:

R024376

Job Description:

Great games start with great people! If you’ve ever dreamt of using your talents on world-class AAA titles and contributing to some of the biggest names in video games, here is your perfect opportunity! We’re excited to be looking for a new Senior Gameplay Animator to join our growing team in Carlsbad, California.

As a Senior Gameplay Animator, you’ll be expected to execute a wide variety of sequences, from AI animations, to complex player mechanics and high-fidelity 3rd person non-player character animations. If you share a passion for developing ground-breaking player experiences, then this may be the position you’ve been waiting for!

What you’ll be doing…

• Create high quality realistic key-framed and motion capture animations, demonstrating a strong sense of posing, timing, and weight.
• Troubleshoot technical and artistic issues to ensure the best possible presentation.
• Help to guide motion-capture sessions to ensure that we capture the ideal animation data for any given task.
• Work with engineers and level designers to develop gameplay animation systems and mechanics.
• Work closely with the Lead Animator and animation team to establish character motion and personality.
• Design and take ownership of animation features.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with the development team using strong interpersonal skills, accept direction, and cooperate with the team to meet production deadlines.

To succeed you must have…

• 5+ years of professional game animation experience.
• Professional experience creating both 1st and 3rd person animations.
• Proficiency in both realistic key frame and motion capture animation.
• Proficiency in Maya.
• Strong experience working with node-based graphs, blendspaces, and building gameplay systems.
• High comfort level with utilizing game engine pipelines.
• Ability to quickly learn and master implementation techniques and debugging tools to identify and solve gameplay issues.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Strong passion for animation and video games.

We’d love it if you also have…

• Knowledge of FPS games.
• Experience with motion capture-based projects. 
• Familiarity with animation blending systems.
• Motion builder experience.

Portfolio submission:

• A portfolio is required for this position.
• Please focus your portfolio on your individual contributions to your projects and include a shot breakdown specifying what you were directly responsible for creating.

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.

High Moon Studios

Founded in 2002, High Moon Studios is an award-winning studio developing for the Call of Duty® franchise, with past development on over 15 titles including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6, Warzone 2.0, Bungie’s Destiny 2: Forsaken, and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. We employ more than 170 people in Carlsbad, CA, a seaside city in San Diego County.

Our pride is our people and the experiences we have optimally crafted for our fans. High Moon's talent is comprised of gifted entertainment and technology professionals responsible for some of the most successful games ever made. We have award-winning developers, published artists and specialists recognized as among the best in their fields. Our studio has a history of using innovative techniques crafted to boost efficiency and product quality, which in turn enhances our studio's quality of life.

High Moon Studios is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.highmoonstudios.com.

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.

We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.

Ready to Activate Your Future?

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

High Moon Studios is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

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.