Senior Gameplay Animator - Infinity Ward

Job Title:

Senior Gameplay Animator - Infinity Ward

Requisition ID:

R026839

Job Description:

Your Platform

Founded in 2002, Infinity Ward is the original studio behind the Call of Duty® franchise. The titles developed by Infinity Ward have won more than 200 "Game of the Year" awards and 100 "Editor's Choice" awards, among many other industry accolades. Some of our previous titles include: Call of Duty®: Ghosts, Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare and most recently, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare. Infinity Ward employs more than 250 people in Woodland Hills, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles.

A critically acclaimed studio, Infinity Ward is proud to have one of the most passionate and talented development teams in the industry.  We love to have as much fun as the games we create, and it shows in our relaxed, yet diligent, workplace environment.  We believe that making the best games relies on having the best people, so we like to look after ours. We enjoy having fun with top-notch events that everyone gets involved with.

Infinity Ward is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at https://www.infinityward.com/, on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/InfinityWard/, and @InfinityWard on X.

Your Mission

Infinity Ward is looking for a world-class, industry-leading Senior Gameplay Animator for our future projects. In this role, you will help inspire the team by creating the highest quality animations while pushing the boundaries of gameplay, storytelling, and technology. The ideal candidate is passionate about animation, gameplay, and has a strong understanding of animation principles, body mechanics, and motion-capture editing techniques. 

A successful Senior Gameplay Animator will bridge animation, engineering, and design to identify potential issues and deploy correct solutions. You must be highly organized and have outstanding communication skills. While working with a Lead Animator, you will champion the animation vision and become an essential pillar of the animation team.  Additionally, a Senior Animator will provide relevant input that will influence animation technology development, resources, and tool development.

Your Mission:

• With a focus on character performances and gameplay, produce high-quality animations using the tools at your disposal.
• Collaborate with animators, designers, artists, and software engineers to identify and address areas of need or concern.
• Contribute to the development of new techniques and processes involved in the implementation and creation of animations.
• Participate in the planning and directing process of motion capture shoots.
• Identify potential areas of risk, create/execute mitigation plans before issues happen, and keep yourself operating at a high level of productivity.
• Work hands-on with the game engine to implement and troubleshoot first-person animations, collaborating with designers and engineers to make sure combat mechanics feel polished, engaging, and intuitive for players.

Player Profile:

• 5+ years of experience in the game industry
• Strong experience creating immersive first-person animations for weapons and hands, with attention to detail in movement, weight, and responsiveness. The ideal candidate can deliver animations that feel intuitive and satisfying to players while aligning with the signature quality and realism of Call of Duty.
• Great understanding of realistic body mechanics as well as animation principles
• Mentorship skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Facial animation experience
• Expert knowledge of Motion Builder
• Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Expert knowledge of animation implementation and debugging techniques
• Self-starter and problem solver  

Extra Points:

• Creature animation experience
• Camera animation skills
• Experience working with outsourcing

“We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.”

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment.  We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $80,800.00 - $149,400.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.