Remote Viewmodel Gameplay Animator (Contract) – FPS

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES, INC.; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Mental health programs

Relocation assistance if required

Job summary

Sledgehammer Games in San Mateo, California, is seeking a Viewmodel Gameplay Animator (Contract) to deliver polished first‑person weapon animations within an established production pipeline. You will collaborate with animation, design, engineering, rigging, modeling, and other teams to bring weapons and gameplay systems to life in a fast‑paced AAA environment.

Ideal candidates have 3+ years of professional animation, 1+ years in game animation, strong fundamentals, and advanced Maya skills.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional animation experience.
• 1+ years of professional game animation experience.
• Strong animation fundamentals with an emphasis on human movement, weight, timing, posing, and physicality.
• Experience creating or implementing first‑person, or gameplay animation.
• Advanced proficiency with Autodesk Maya.
• Experience working with animation implementation tools and game engines.
• Strong problem‑solving skills across creative and technical challenges.
• Ability to work effectively with multiple disciplines in a collaborative development environment.
• Ability to receive feedback, iterate quickly, and maintain a high‑quality bar.
• Strong communication, organization, and self‑direction.
• Ability to quickly learn and work within an established production pipeline.
• At least one shipped game title is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Use traditional animation fundamentals to craft game motions that range from stylized to hyper‑realistic.
• Create polished first‑person weapon animations, including firing, reloads, weapon handling, inspections, melee, equipment use, and other gameplay interactions.
• Apply strong animation fundamentals to create motion ranging from grounded and realistic to stylized, depending on the needs of the game.
• Maintain clear weapon readability, strong posing, convincing weight, and responsive timing from the player’s perspective.
• Animate and refine first‑person camera motion when needed to support gameplay clarity, impact, and presentation.
• Collaborate closely with designers, engineers, tech artists, riggers, modelers, and other animators to solve creative and technical problems.
• Implement, test, and debug animation in the game engine or proprietary tools.
• Respond well to feedback and iterate efficiently to achieve the level of polish expected for a AAA title.
• Help identify workflow or pipeline improvements that increase the efficiency and quality of the animation team.
• Clearly communicate progress, risks, technical issues, and creative intent to partners and leads.
• Support the development of animation standards, documentation, and reusable animation systems.

Job description

Sledgehammer Games in San Mateo, California, is seeking a Viewmodel Gameplay Animator (Contract) to deliver polished first‑person weapon animations within an established production pipeline. You will collaborate with animation, design, engineering, rigging, modeling, and other teams to bring weapons and gameplay systems to life in a fast‑paced AAA environment.

Ideal candidates have 3+ years of professional animation, 1+ years in game animation, strong fundamentals, and advanced Maya skills.