Senior Technical Animator – Gameplay / Character ...

We’re looking for a Senior Technical Animator who can design and implement the character animation controller systems that drive player movement and gameplay responsiveness in a next-gen soccer game. This role sits at the intersection of animation, gameplay engineering, and systems design , with responsibility for making sure characters feel fluid, grounded, and responsive under player control. You’ll own the animation blueprint, state machines, and blend trees that bring dribbling, shooting, passing, tackling, and locomotion to life in Unreal Engine 5. You’ll Work On: Designing and implementing animation controllers (state machines, blend spaces, transition rules) for soccer gameplay Building locomotion systems : walking, sprinting, turning, and foot planting across different movement contexts Integrating gameplay actions: dribbling, passing, crossing, shooting, tackling, and goalkeeping Working with gameplay engineers to synchronize animation and physics for collisions, tackles, and ball interaction Creating procedural animation solutions (IK, FK, additive layers) for foot placement, ball contact, and player balance Optimizing controllers for responsiveness, fluidity, and low-latency input Debugging, profiling, and refining state graphs and blend spaces for stability and performance Collaborating with animators to ensure high-quality mocap and keyframed animations integrate cleanly into the pipeline Building reusable animation blueprints and tools for faster iteration and scalability Requirements: 5+ years of animation or technical animation experience in video games At least 1 shipped 3D title (sports, action, or simulation preferred) Expert knowledge of Unreal Engine 5 Animation Blueprint, State Machines, Blend Spaces, IK systems Strong grasp of character locomotion and responsive gameplay animation design Experience with mocap integration, data cleanup, and retargeting workflows Solid understanding of character rigging, skinning, and pipeline dependencies Ability to profile and optimize animation systems for performance Bonus Points: Experience with sports titles or character-driven gameplay systems Knowledge of Chaos Physics integration with animation (ragdoll, partial physics, procedural blends) Familiarity with motion matching, pose space deformation, or other advanced animation techniques Passion for soccer, with an instinct for how players should feel on the field This is a hands-on senior role : you’ll own the animation controller layer that defines how the game’s characters move, react, and feel—turning motion capture data and gameplay logic into a responsive, authentic soccer experience.

Created: 2025-09-22