Gameplay Animator - Velan Studios

At Velan Studios, we foster a culture of curiosity. Our games embrace diversity and are fueled by the adventurous spirit of our team. We are the creative minds behind titles like Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Knockout City, Hot Wheels Rift Rally, Midnight Murder Club as well as the VR game Bounce Arcade, and our journey continues! Our studio's mission is to pioneer groundbreaking gaming experiences and reimagine play in new ways. We're committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional gaming, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, and revolutionizing the industry one game at a time.

Are you super passionate about hand animating characters and truly breathing life into them? Can you bring out their personalities and make it emotionally resonate with players while delivering innovative gameplay mechanics?

Velan Studios, a small independent game developer, is looking for a Senior Gameplay Animator with a breadth of experience. As the Senior Gameplay Animator, you should be comfortable working on a small prototyping team with engineers and designers to create eye-opening experiences. You will be actively collaborating with the team to define the personality of the character through its movement, actions, and gameplay, as well as focusing on the implementation of character mechanics.   

Responsibilities

• Develop a strong animation style, showcasing solid body mechanics for interesting and dynamic gameplay.
• As a game developer, ensuring your animations will look and feel amazing while playing the game.
• Collaborate with engineers and designers to implement animations in engine.
• Set up gameplay systems and troubleshooting issues that may arise.
• Document workflows for other animators to follow.
• Mentor fellow animation team members.
• And above all, bring a passion and drive to make highly polished and entertaining performances for the best possible gameplay experience.

Requirements

• 3+ years of game industry experience with gameplay animation.
• Killer demo reel showcasing solid and entertaining animations.
• Expert in Maya or equivalent 3D animation software.
• Experience with game engines like Unreal or Unity, with focus on general state machine structures.
• Self-driven and proactive in problem solving.
• Able to effectively communicate technical needs and issues to Engineering/Tech Art/Design.
• A team player with a positive attitude, passionate about your craft, and deeply curious.

Big Pluses

• Rigging chops
• Scripting experience
• Game design sensibilities
• Mocap Experience
• Motion matching or other modern techniques for animation in games
• Modeling

The salary for this position is typically within the range specified below* per year. Please note that the actual base pay may vary based on factors such as your qualifications, skills, experience, and other relevant considerations. In addition to your salary, our comprehensive compensation package includes various perks, such as potential annual bonuses (though they are not guaranteed), health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays, and flexible time-off benefits.

*Mid-Senior: $75,000. - $120,000.

We're thrilled that you're considering joining our team. We want to let you know that candidates who can work onsite in our Troy, NY studio are highly preferred. We believe that working together in person can foster better collaboration and creativity, and we're excited about the opportunity to have you right here with us. Velan Studios is made up of a team of remote, hybrid, and onsite employees, with hybrid and onsite team members operating from our Troy, NY office.

Velan Studios is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about a role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to submit a General Application. Velan Studios is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion, diversity, and providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. We seek to create a work culture that matches the diversity of our players.