Gamecompanies is hiring: Senior Animation Engineer in San Mateo

We are a diverse team of developers driven by a passion for our art, united by our core values and inspired by a culture of inclusivity to build amazing games that thrill players everywhere. We pursue growth and innovation in an environment of safety and trust. Our culture is built on the belief that the more varied voices in our collective will strengthen our team and our games. We are looking for our next teammate who will raise our bar and make us better. We are currently working on Project ETHOS, a new free-to-play, 3rd person rogue-like hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the genre! Who You Are: As a Senior Animation Engineer, you will be a key contributor to the development of animation systems for a multiplatform & multiplayer AAA title. You will work closely with designers, artists, and engineers to create innovative and high-performance animation systems that bring characters and worlds to life. With a focus on delivering fluid, responsive, and realistic animations, you will be responsible for developing and optimizing systems for character movement, animation blending, procedural animation, and more. You’ll work across various systems including player control, AI-driven animation, and in-game tools, ensuring that animations are tightly integrated with game mechanics and provide a seamless experience for players. Responsibilities: Design, develop, and optimize animation systems for a AAA game, ensuring fluid, responsive, and high-performance character animations Collaborate with the animation, art, and gameplay teams to develop innovative techniques for character movement, procedural animation, and animation blending Integrate animation systems with other gameplay systems (e.g., AI, player control, physics) to ensure smooth and realistic interactions Continuously refine and optimize animation performance, particularly for large-scale multiplayer environments and complex gameplay scenarios Lead the creation of tools and workflows to streamline the animation process, ensuring a smooth collaboration between animators, designers, and engineers Requirements: Strong proficiency in C++ and experience with game engine internals, particularly in the context of animation systems Expertise in animation systems, including blend trees, procedural animation, inverse kinematics (IK), and animation state machines Experience optimizing and refining animation performance to meet high standards on both PC and console platforms Solid understanding of 3D math, physics, and how they apply to animation systems, including transformations, rotations, and vector math Proven ability to collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams, including animators, designers, and other engineers, to deliver high-quality, polished animations Experience working with Unreal Engine 4/5, including Unreal’s animation tools (e.g., Animation Blueprint, Sequencer, and Control Rig) Experience working with Unreal Engine’s Gameplay Ability System (GAS) and its integration with animation systems Proven track record of working on shipped AAA titles, with experience in character animation for both first-person and third-person perspectives Experience with character animation on current-gen consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X, etc.) Familiarity with animation middleware (e.g., Autodesk MotionBuilder) and workflows for game animation integration Experience with performance profiling and optimization tools for animation systems, ensuring smooth gameplay across all platforms The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $120,000 and $160,000 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an 'at-will position' and the company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. SECURITY NOTICE - We have recently been made aware of increasing occurrences of bad actors posing as company HR personnel to gain information from "potential candidates", in the form of job interviews and offers. These scams can be quite sophisticated and appear legitimate. Please know that 31st Union and 2K never uses instant messaging apps to contact prospective employees or to conduct interviews. 31st Union prides itself on the diversity of its team members, partners, and communities. For this reason, we remain committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment and hiring through compensation, benefits, discipline and termination. This means that employment at 31st Union depends on your substantive ability, objective qualifications and work ethic – not on your age, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), height, weight, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), alienage or citizenship status, transgender, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability (actual or perceived), medical condition, AIDS/HIV, denial of family and medical care leave, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, pregnancy status, childbirth, breastfeeding (or related medical conditions), marital status or registered domestic partner status, political activity or affiliation, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, arrest record, or taking or requesting statutorily protected leaves, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws. As an equal opportunity employer, we are also committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the job application and/or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need to request a reasonable accommodation. #J-18808-Ljbffr In Summary: 31st Union and 2K are currently working on Project ETHOS, a new free-to-play, 3rd person rogue-like hero shooter . The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $120,000 and $160,000 per year . En Español: Somos un equipo diverso de desarrolladores impulsado por una pasión por nuestro arte, unidos por nuestros valores fundamentales y inspirados en una cultura de inclusión para construir juegos increíbles que emocionen a los jugadores en todas partes. Seguimos el crecimiento e innovación en un entorno de seguridad y confianza. Nuestra cultura se basa en la creencia de que las voces más variadas en nuestro colectivo fortalecerán nuestro equipo y nuestros juegos. Estamos buscando a nuestro próximo compañero de equipo que eleve nuestra barra y nos haga mejores. Actualmente estamos trabajando en Project ETHOS, un nuevo juego gratuito, heroe-like 3rd person y una evolución emocionante del género! Responsabilidades: Diseñar, desarrollar y optimizar sistemas de animación para un juego AAA, asegurando el rendimiento de la animación a gran escala multijugador y escenarios complejos de juegos. Colaborar con los equipos deanimación, arte y gameplay para desarrollar técnicas innovadoras para movimientos de personajes, animación procedimental y mezcla de animaciones Integrar sistemas de animation con otros sistemas de juego (por ejemplo, IA, control del jugador, física) para garantizar interacciones fluidas y realistas Continuamente perfeccionar y optimizar el desempeño de las animaciones, en particular para grandes jugadores multiplayer y escenario de juego complejo. Sin embargo, el salario base ofrecido se basa en la ubicación del mercado y puede variar aún más dependiendo de factores individualizados para los candidatos a empleo, como conocimiento relacionado con el trabajo, habilidades, experiencia y otras consideraciones comerciales objetivas. Sujeto a esas mismas consideraciones, el paquete total de compensación para este puesto también puede incluir otros elementos, incluidos un bono y/o premios de capital, además de una gama completa de beneficios médicos, financieros y / u otros. Se proporcionarán detalles sobre la participación en estos planes de beneficios si un empleado recibe una oferta de empleo. Si es contratado, el empleado estará en una "posición voluntaria" y la compañía se reserva el derecho de modificar sueldo (así como cualquier otro pago discrecional o indemnización o beneficio) en cualquier momento, incluso por razones relacionadas con el rendimiento individual de la empresa o HR / equipo , y el desempeño del mercado . SECURITYTICE - Hemos sido recientemente informados de que las empresas no pueden presentar entrevistas inmediato a sus socios personales o obtener información legalmente legítimas, así como las aplicaciones de intercambio de mensajería de 31 miembros del personal de la Unión. Por esta razón, seguimos comprometidos a proporcionar igualdad de oportunidades de empleo en todos los aspectos de la relación laboral, desde el reclutamiento y la contratación hasta la indemnización, beneficios, disciplina y terminación. Esto significa que el empleo en la 31a Unión depende de su capacidad sustancial, calificaciones objetivas y ética laboral no de su edad, raza (incluyendo rasgos históricamente asociados con la raza, incluida pero sin limitarse a la textura del cabello y peinado protector), altura, peso, religión, credo, color, origen nacional, ascendencia, sexo, orientación sexual, género (incluso identidad y expresión de género), estatus extranjero o ciudadanía, transgénero, estado militar o veterano, discapacidad física o mental (estatus real o percibido), condición médica, SIDA/VIH, negación de licencia familiar y asistencia médica, información genética, predisposición al nacimiento de un hijo, embarazo, condiciones de lactancia (o marcado localmente) o cualquier otra actividad doméstica registrada por las leyes federales o estatales como víctima de violencia o detención, estatuto político u otro estatuto interno protegido o estatuto legal, registro de una pareja maternal o paternal. Como empleador de igualdad de oportunidades, también nos comprometemos a garantizar que las personas con discapacidad cualificadas reciban un alojamiento razonable para participar en el proceso de solicitud y/o entrevista laboral, desempeñar sus funciones laborales esenciales y recibir otros beneficios y privilegios del empleo.