Senior Gameplay Animator
Encino, CA
Animation /
Full Time /
Hybrid
Giant Skull is an independent game studio on a mission to craft unforgettable single-player, gameplay-driven action-adventures in rich, immersive worlds. We are currently working on a new game set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe. We are highly collaborative and value empowering autonomy; each individual at Giant Skull has the opportunity to feel their impact across the game, studio, and team. If you’re ready to join a studio where every voice shapes the adventure, we’d love to create something extraordinary together.
The Role:
As a Senior Animator, you will create high quality, expressive animations that bring our characters to life through movement. You’ll collaborate across disciplines to ensure animations integrate seamlessly with design, engineering, and animation systems - balancing clarity, responsiveness, and personality.
Your primary focus will be on locomotion and gameplay, however this role offers flexibility to contribute towards other animation needs based on your interests and the evolving priorities of the team and game.
Impact and Ownership
- You will create high-quality locomotion and gameplay animations - run, sprint, jump, land, idle, and more - that are grounded, fluid, and satisfying to play.
- You will use both keyframe animation and motion capture while leveraging strong animation principles, applying a keen eye for timing, weight, and character performance.
- You will collaborate with designers and engineers to prototype, implement, and refine animations in-engine, with a focus on responsiveness and gameplay feel.
- You will contribute to the development of locomotion systems (e.g., state machines, motion matching, blend spaces) and help ensure smooth transitions and consistent player control.
- You will partner with other animators and cross-discipline teammates from concept to polish, upholding quality, consistency, and performance across movement-related animation. You may also contribute beyond locomotion to other gameplay, traversal, or cinematic animation opportunities based on interest and team priorities.
- Your impact will be felt not just in the game but across our creative processes and collaborative culture.
Qualifications
- You have 5+ years of experience in real-time 3D animation, with at least one shipped title that showcases high-quality in-game animation.
- You have strong keyframe skills and a deep understanding of body mechanics, timing, weight, and movement, especially for human or humanoid characters.
- You are confident working with motion capture data, and know how to clean, refine, and enhance mocap for clarity and polish.
- You have experience delivering animation that aligns with gameplay needs and supports player control and readability.
- You are comfortable working in real-time game engines, ideally including Unreal, and are familiar with locomotion systems - integrating animation using tools like state machines, blend spaces, and/or motion matching.
- You are team-focused and collaborative - you work well across disciplines and proactively seek alignment.
- You are a thoughtful problem solver, open to feedback, and eager to contribute ideas that elevate quality and improve the player experience.
- You may have contributed to animation tools, workflows, or documentation.
- You may have experience supporting or mentoring other animators, even informally, through feedback and collaboration.
Why Join Giant Skull
- You will collaborate with a passionate team of AAA veterans from studios like Epic, Respawn, Rocksteady, Riot, and more on exciting and ambitious gaming projects.
- You will enjoy a development process that balances collaborative teamwork with a high degree of individual autonomy.
- You will benefit from competitive compensation, access to cutting-edge technology and resources to support your work, as well as opportunities for career growth, personal and professional development.
- You will be shown trust and flexibility through remote or hybrid options, open PTO, and support for balancing work and personal life.
- Your ultimate impact will be unconstrained by your focus areas. You will have the opportunity to shape not only the game we are making but the foundation of our studio and development cultures, best practices, team collaboration, and beyond.
- You will add to a deeply inclusive workplace where every team member is valued and respected.
Compensation
For this position, our target base salary range is 115k to 175k. Ranges may expand based on experience and location. Salary is just one aspect of our overall compensation package - we also offer opportunities for bonuses, retirement plan matching, and comprehensive benefits. We’re excited to share more about how we invest in our team during the interview process.
