Gameplay Animation Intern [Spring 2027]

Crystal Dynamics; United States; Remote; USD 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work

Paid holidays

Professional development reimbursement

Paid time off accrual

Job summary

Crystal Dynamics is seeking creative interns to join our remote spring program, with onboarding at the San Carlos studio. You will engage directly in AAA game development, learning production scope, workflows, and the tools used across modern pipelines. Open to candidates across most U.S.

states, this 12-week internship builds industry-ready skills and professional relationships. Expect mentorship from experienced pros, hands-on projects, and collaboration with onsite and remote teams to

Qualifications

• Portfolio demonstrating animation fundamentals and related work.
• Experience with motion capture processing or retargeting.
• Exposure to industry-standard tools and engines.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new tools quickly.

Responsibilities

• Acquire skills using industry-standard tools such as Unreal Engine, Maya, and/or MotionBuilder.
• Participate in animation pipeline activities including motion capture processing and keyframe workflows.
• Support artists by polishing assets and fixing issues as assigned.
• Deepen understanding of advanced game development technology, focusing on Unreal Engine.

Skills

Animation portfolio

Motion capture

Unreal Engine

Maya

MotionBuilder

Team collaboration

Feedback incorporation

Education

Animation

Art

Game Art

Technical Art

Game Design

Game Development

Engineering

Related fields

Tools

Unreal Engine

Maya

MotionBuilder

Job description

Crystal Dynamics is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide to add to our 30-plus year legacy of game development creating new and iconic franchises. We are committed to making great games with great people and living the dream while doing it.

Benefits for our regular full-time positions include, but are not limited to, a competitive regional salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options, professional development reimbursement, flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities, company paid holidays, plus additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break, and the ability to accrue additional paid time-off.

Join us and help shape an amazing studio culture, where we’re building award-winning franchises like Tomb Raider and more!

Crystal Dynamics is now accepting applications for a remote spring internship, open to candidates across most U.S. states. As part of this 12-week program, you will take part in meaningful, hands-on work that contributes directly to active AAA projects. Throughout the program, you will step into a professional development environment where ongoing projects, experienced mentors, and collaborative teams give you a direct view into AAA game creation. This internship is designed to help you build industry ready skills, form strong professional relationships, and deepen your understanding of how world class games are made!

Eligibility Criteria

• Graduated from a college or university program in 2026 (Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter).
• Degree in Animation, Art, Game Art, Technical Art, Game Design, Game Development, Engineering, or related fields.
• Availability to work full-time (40 hrs / week), during core business hours, for the duration of the program (February 1st – April 23rd, 2027), including the first week onsite at our studio in San Carlos, CA for onboarding.
• Legal eligibility to work in the United States.
• Submission of a complete application that includes a resume, cover letter, and a link to your portfolio.

What You Will Gain

• Practical Project Involvement: Contribute to active game development efforts while learning production scope, workflows, and the advanced tools used across modern AAA pipelines.
• Professional Mentorship: Receive guidance from experienced professionals with deep industry knowledge.
• Skill Development: Expand your skill set, establishing a solid foundation for your professional journey.
• Team Collaboration: Work alongside our dedicated onsite and remote teams including fellow interns, building valuable professional relationships within the gaming industry.

What You Will Do

• Acquire essential skills using industry-standard tools and software such as Unreal Engine, Maya, and/or MotionBuilder.
• Participate in various game development aspects of the full animation pipeline, including motion capture processing, keyframe animation workflows, and engine implementation.
• Support mid, senior, and lead artists by polishing existing animation assets, helping fix issues, and any other tasks assigned.
• Enhance your understanding of advanced game development technology, focusing on Unreal Engine.

What Makes You Stand Out

• Portfolio demonstrating foundational Animation skills, including one or more of the following:
  • Animation work demonstrating understanding of animation fundamentals such as timing, pacing, weight, posing, and camera composition.
  • Motion capture cleanup or animation retargeting work.
• Exposure to industry-standard development software, tools and engines.
• Industry involvement outside classroom curriculum such as game jams, personal projects and/or contributions to group projects that show going above and beyond.
• Willingness to tackle challenges, learn from feedback, and adapt to new tools or workflows.
• Ability to communicate your ideas with eagerness to learn and turn feedback into action.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation for this internship is $20-23/hr. Compensation is location-based and will be aligned to the intern’s confirmed work location during the program. Interns are also eligible for a medical, dental, and vision benefits package. Thank you for your interest in an internship at Crystal Dynamics. We can't wait to see what you bring to our world of game development!

Crystal Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to identifying and implementing positive and persistent measures to ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment, hiring, development, training, promotion and compensation of a diverse team employee group. This includes persons of different race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, political affiliation, age, veteran status, uniform service member status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or citizenship, as well as any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Crystal Dynamics is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. If you require any accommodations, please notify us at your earliest convenience during the interview process.

Voluntary Self-Identification

Crystal Dynamics is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a program of diversity for our employees. To help Crystal Dynamics monitor its compliance, statistical analysis and measuring our advertising and recruitment efforts, we ask candidates to respond to the self-identification survey below.

Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. A decision to provide or not provide such information will have no effect on the company's employment decision. Your responses will be used (in aggregate only) to help us identify areas of improvement in our process. Your responses will not be associated with your specific application and will not in any way be used in employment decisions.

As set forth in the Crystal Dynamics Equal Opportunity Employment policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable federal, state or local laws.