Senior Technical Animator - Contract

Playground Games is looking for a Senior Technical Animator to join our talented Fable team here in Leamington Spa on a contract basis. 

ABOUT US:

We are a premier Xbox Game Studio, crafting genre-defining games that delight players with their accessibility, visual allure, and pure fun. Our diverse and passionate team is currently working on the exciting reboot of the much-adored Fable franchise. 

ABOUT THE ROLE: 

As a Senior Technical Animator, your role will be pivotal in working with our animation team to create high-quality, dynamic animations that bring the immersive world of Fable to life. Your expertise will play a key role in elevating the quality of animation in our game and ensuring its integration with the gameplay is seamless. Effective communication with internal stakeholders is vital in this role. 

Our ideal candidate is a dedicated Technical Animator with proficiency in rigging, skinning, and an understanding of runtime animation systems, complemented by knowledge in physics, cloth, and hair dynamics. The ability to demonstrate a solid track record in this field is expected. 

This is a contract role, based in our state-of-the-art studio in Leamington Spa, with a hybrid work model in place. We offer relocation assistance if needed. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO: 

• Work in close collaboration with Leads, Directors, and multi-disciplinary teams, you will develop and implement top-tier animation rigs, controls, and scripts.
• This will also include implementing animations in our proprietary engine in line with gameplay requirements that also incorporates physics, cloth, dynamic simulations.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING: 

• Experience in Technical Animation or a related field, showcased by an online portfolio.
• Expertise in rigging, skinning, and a thorough understanding of animation principles.
• Experience with exporting and implementing animation in a game engine including cloth or dynamic simulation.
• Familiarity with industry-standard software like Maya, 3ds Max, and Motion Builder.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or MEL.
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills, ability to manage tasks, meet deadlines, address challenges proactively, and a drive for continuous learning and professional development.

DESIRABLE (not required): 

• Experience working on console games or RPG games. Skills in motion capture and facial animation.

This is a phenomenal opportunity to contribute to world-class games alongside a talented and collaborative team at one of the industry's most thrilling first-party game studios. 

Playground Games is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity and inclusion fuels creativity.  We are dedicated to creating a safe, comfortable and welcoming working environment.    

We strive to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices of our team members.  It drives our innovation and connects us closer to our players.  We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion across age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.   

At Playground Games we recognise the importance of self-development, career progression, well-being and retention of our colleagues. We celebrate difference and welcome everyone to join us and to be themselves at work.   

If you require any reasonable accommodation to apply for this position, please contact us on recruitment@playground-games.com