Animator

About This Role

Animators at Blind Squirrel Games bring characters to life through movement, performance, and interaction, shaping how players experience gameplay and connect with a game’s story. Working alongside animation leadership and a multidisciplinary development team, you will create and refine animations that support each project’s artistic direction, gameplay requirements, and technical standards. Your work may include keyframe animation, motion capture integration and cleanup, character performances, and animation implementation, depending on project needs and your expertise.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality character animations using Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max that meet established artistic and technical requirements
• Apply animation principles, including weight, timing, spacing, and posing, to deliver believable performances that support gameplay and storytelling
• Integrate, clean up, and refine motion capture data using MotionBuilder, preserving performance quality while addressing artifacts and technical requirements
• Support motion capture planning and sessions, including performance direction and supervision where appropriate to your experience and project responsibilities
• Collaborate with artists, designers, and programmers to ensure animations support character design, gameplay mechanics, and engine requirements
• Work with programmers to integrate animation features and functionality into the game engine
• Identify and help resolve animation challenges involving character rigs, technical limitations, and performance constraints
• Follow established production pipelines and deliver animation assets according to project schedules and specifications
• Maintain organized animation assets using version control systems such as Perforce
• Communicate progress, dependencies, and potential obstacles clearly to leads and project stakeholders
• Contribute ideas that strengthen character movement, expression, and interaction while supporting the project’s creative direction
• Participate in team meetings, animation reviews, and collaborative problem-solving discussions
• Incorporate feedback thoughtfully and efficiently while maintaining animation quality and consistency
• Adjust priorities, techniques, and animation approaches as project needs evolve
• Document relevant workflows, techniques, and best practices to support knowledge sharing and consistent production
• Continue developing your skills and adapting to new tools, technologies, and animation practices

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Animation, Fine Arts, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
• A minimum of two years of industry experience in game development specializing in animation