Summary We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Principal Animator to join our dynamic team. As Principal Animator, you will be responsible for creating high-quality character and creature animations that define the quality of animation across our game world. You will have a direct impact on the player's experience by ensuring that our animations are fluid, realistic, and enhance the overall gameplay.
Core Responsibilities - Set the standard for all character, creature, and object animations.
- Collaborate with the Animation Director to define the animation style and direction.
- Oversee the rigging process and ensure that rigs are optimized for animation.
- Work closely with the gameplay and cinematics teams to ensure animations are integrated seamlessly.
- Provide feedback and mentorship to other animators.
- Ensure animations meet performance and memory constraints for different platforms.
- Stay current with industry trends and techniques in animation.
Core Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Animation, Fine Arts, or related field.
- 7+ years of experience in animation within the video game industry.
- Proficiency in Maya and other industry-standard animation tools.
- Strong understanding of anatomy, motion, and weight in animation.
- Experience with both keyframe animation and motion capture techniques.
- Experience with UE5.
- Proven track record of leading animation teams and delivering high-quality content.
- Ability to work collaboratively across departments and communicate effectively.
Plus if... - Experience with creature animation and complex character rigs.
- Knowledge of physics-based animation systems.
- Previous work on AAA titles or games with a focus on realistic animation.
- Experience working with Co-developers and outsource vendors.
Description - Full-time job with benefits.
- Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
- Office is located near downtown Santa Monica - near metro and freeways.
Join our talented team and play a crucial role in bringing our characters and creatures to life. Together, we will create animations that captivate players and enhance the overall gameplay experience. Apply now and lead our animation team as the Principal Animator with Absurd Ventures.
The base pay range for this position is $120,000 to $165,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.
About Absurd Ventures Absurd Ventures is a media company creating new IP across all platforms and for all formats. Absurd Ventures is building narrative worlds, creating characters, and writing stories for a variety of genres, without regard to medium, to be produced for live-action and animation; video games and other interactive content; books, graphic novels, and scripted podcasts.