Carbonated Inc. is hiring: Technical Animator in Los Angeles

Carbonated is a passionate game studio founded in 2015 by industry veterans from EA, Sony, and Zynga. We are backed by top-tier partners like a16z, Bitkraft, and Com2Us.

Our culture is centered around a love for the craft and a drive to innovate. We are looking for individuals who share our key values: Talent , Attitude , and Fearless Curiosity .

We’re currently working on an undisclosed streaming video game along the lines of a PC/PS4 quality game with one of the biggest streaming companies in the world.

THE ROLE: TECHNICAL ANIMATOR
We are seeking a Technical Animator who lives at the intersection of high-fidelity art and systems architecture. You’ll be responsible for bringing our "Gun Fu" combat to life, ensuring that every melee strike and firearm transition feels weighty, responsive, and seamless.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Combat Mastery: Create and refine high-fidelity animations for in-game player characters, specifically focusing on realistic melee and firearm sequences.

Systems Integration: Work closely with engineers to implement animation state machines/animgraphs, node based editing, blend trees, and IK/FK systems within the game engine.

Scripting, Tooling & Automation: Develop Maya/Python scripts to automate repetitive tasks and optimize the animation export pipeline.

Rigging: Maintain and improve character rigs to support complex combat mechanics and deformation requirements.

MoCap Pipeline: Own the motion capture pipeline, from cleaning raw data from various sources to retargeting and hand-keying secondary motion to ensure a "AAA" feel. We have existing tools to process but are looking for improvement.

WHO YOU ARE

Experience: 3+ years in game animation with a portfolio that emphasizes weight, timing, and realistic human kinetics.

Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of technical animation constraints (looping, state transitions, bone counts, and optimization).

Engine Savvy: Proficient in working within modern game engines (O3DE, Unreal, or Unity) to troubleshoot animation behavior in-game.

AI-Forward: Comfortable utilizing generative AI tools to accelerate the pipeline, from initial blocking to refining complex motion data.

Collaborative: A proactive communicator who can bridge the gap between Art and Engineering.

BONUS POINTS

Physics: Experience with ragdoll setups and physical animation blending.

Engine Logic: Familiarity with Lua or similar scripting languages for gameplay-triggered animations.

Education: BFA in Fine Arts or a related technical field.

Agile: Experience working in a fast-paced, Scrum-based environment.

Culture: A sense of humor (we have a high tolerance for dad jokes!).

SOUND LIKE YOU?
Please send your resume, portfolio link, and cover letter to jobs@carbonated.com.

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In Summary: Carbonated is a passionate game studio founded in 2015 by industry veterans from EA, Sony, and Zynga . We're currently working on an undisclosed streaming video game along the lines of a PC/PS4 quality game with one of the biggest streaming companies in the world . We are seeking a Technical Animator who lives at the intersection of high-fidelity art and systems architecture .

En Español: Carbonated es un apasionado estudio de juegos fundado en 2015 por veteranos de la industria de EA, Sony y Zynga. Somos respaldados por socios de primer nivel como a16z, Bitkraft y Com2Us. Nuestra cultura se centra alrededor del amor al oficio y el impulso para innovar. Buscamos personas que comparten nuestros valores clave: talento , actitud y curiosidad sin miedo . Actualmente estamos trabajando en un videojuego de transmisión no revelado a lo largo de las líneas de un juego de calidad PC / PS4 con una de las compañías de streaming más grandes del mundo. Usted será responsable de dar vida a nuestro combate "Gun Fu", asegurándose de que cada ataque de mezcla y la transición del arma de fuego se sienta pesada, sensible y fluida. LO QUE LLEVERÁ hacer Maestría de Combate: Crear y refinar animaciones de alta fidelidad para los personajes del jugador en el juego, centrándose específicamente en secuencias realistas de melee y armas de fuego. Tenemos herramientas existentes para procesar pero estamos buscando mejoras. ¿Quién eres experiencia: 3+ años en animación de juegos con una cartera que hace hincapié en el peso, el tiempo y la cinética humana realista. Proficiencia técnica: Conocimiento fuerte de las restricciones técnicas de animación (looping, transiciones de estado, recuentos óseos y optimización). Engine Savvy: experto en trabajar dentro de los motores de juego modernos (O3DE, Unreal o Unity) para solucionar problemas como el comportamiento de la animación en el juego. AI-Forward: cómoda utilizando herramienta generativa de IA para acelerar la tubería, desde el bloqueo inicial hasta la refinación de datos complejos. Colaborativo: un comunicador proactivo que puede sentir la brecha entre Arte e Ingeniería. BONUS POTS: Experimentación física con broma combinando configuraciones rápidas y animación física.