Associate Animator (External Development)
Join our award-winning God of War team!
We are looking for an Associate Animator / Animation Implementer to partner with our External Development group and work on all things animation-related. The ideal candidate has formal training in animation and game development. In this role you will work with the external development team, supporting them by working hands-on implementing content into the game as it gets delivered by various outsourcing studios. During implementation, you would also be testing the new content to ensure it is working accurately and meets all technical requirements.
Responsibilities
Implement delivered assets into the engine and check them for bugs, quality or ensuring that the feedback was addressed if applicable.
Minor animation cleanup or adjustments on delivered assets as requested by the Animation Director or Animation Leads.
Resolve technical inefficiencies with delivered animation assets by providing feedback to the external partner or fixing it internally (i.e. Root motion issues, Pose matching, etc.).
Occasionally crafting basic animations from scratch or polishing existing assets when time permits, including gameplay animations, motion capture cleanup and facial animations.
Attend regular animation group reviews to stay on top of the direction, and help ensure that this direction is realized throughout the animations in the game.
Requirements
Can show an online portfolio demonstrating high-quality animations. Portfolios demonstrating more than one variety of animation a plus including; character animations, creature animations, camera work and facial.
Experience and competence working in Maya (preferred) or 3ds Max to build character and creature animations.
Demonstrate an understanding of the game development process in relation to an animation pipeline.
Great aesthetic and artistic eye to constantly improve the quality of delivered work by giving feedback or making final adjustments internally.
Desire to work on many different tasks and work with many people internally or externally.
A passion for game development and pushing art quality forward in the industry.
Highly organized, self-motivated and able to demonstrate the ability to follow through on tasks.
Preferred Experience
Character or Creature Animation experience.
Production and / or QA testing experience from a prior professional game development position.
Shipped AAA games or games with high-quality animation in the past.
Understanding the outsourcing process or experience working with outsourcing in past roles.
General knowledge of Maya for animation use.
We value talent, self-motivation, and team spirit. In turn, we provide an environment with a large degree of autonomy and opportunities for growth.
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, legally protected physical or mental disability, covered veteran status, status in the U.S. uniformed services, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information or membership in any other legally protected category. We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond. We genuinely appreciate the time and effort you spent in contacting us and we thank you for your interest in Santa Monica Studio.