Senior Animator

Makeshift Software; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote during ramp-up (3–6 months)

Hybrid on-site schedule later

Industry-grade workstation

Job summary

Makeshift Software Inc. in Columbus, OH, is seeking a Senior Animator to drive gameplay animation and prerendered cinematics for Hexborn.

You will take motion capture data from cleanup through polish, animate on both biped and creature rigs, and collaborate with the animation team to sustain a high-quality bar throughout production. This hands-on role requires owning shots, accepting feedback, and maintaining rigging standards.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Senior Animator for gameplay and prerendered cinematics.
• Ability to own shots and animation passes independently.
• Maintain rigging standards and work with a team to hit quality targets.

Responsibilities

• Animate gameplay moments and prerendered sequences in Blender.
• Process motion capture data from cleanup to production-ready animation.
• Animate on both bipeds and creature rigs.
• Build and maintain extensible control rigs for own work and team use.
• Collaborate with other animators to maintain consistency and quality.
• Work within Animation Sets and broader workflow tools.

Skills

Animation

Rigging

Motion capture

Team collaboration

Tools

Blender

Mocap systems

Faceware

Job description

Makeshift Software Inc. | Remote (3–6 months) → Hybrid On-Site Full-Time

About Hexborn

Hexborn is our upcoming dark fantasy action RPG — a brutal blend of hack-and-slash combat, deep dungeon crawling, guild progression, and player-driven rivalry set in a world consumed by an ever-expanding corruption known as the Graveglass Blight. Players rise from an unknown mage into the leader of a legendary guild, mastering arcane combat, recruiting allies, forging relics, and descending into cursed ruins and large-scale raids to uncover the truth behind their rare ability to fly.

The demo is live now on Steam.

We're building toward a cinematic bar that matches the quality references below — both in gameplay animation and in prerendered cutscenes — and we need a strong individual contributor who can turn raw mocap and rigs into finished, expressive animation.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced Senior Animator to work across gameplay animation and prerendered cinematics for Hexborn. You'll take motion capture data from cleanup through polish, animate on both biped and creature rigs, and collaborate closely with the rest of the animation team to hit a consistent, high-quality bar throughout the game.

This is a hands-on production role. You'll be expected to own shots and animation passes independently, give and receive feedback within the team, and help maintain rigging standards that keep everyone's work compatible.

What You'll Do

• Animate gameplay moments and prerendered cutscenes/film sequences in Blender
• Take motion capture data through cleanup to production-ready, polished animation
• Animate on both biped and creature rigs
• Build and maintain extensible control rigs as needed for your own work and team use
• Collaborate closely with other animators to maintain consistency and hit shared quality standards
• Work within our existing animation tooling: Animation Sets in use and our broader workflow tools

Quality Bar References

To give a sense of the cinematic and animation quality we're aiming for:

1. Reference 1
2. Reference 2

Perks & Tools

• MOVE AI markerless mocap + Z CAM E2-M4 motion capture system
• Faceware Mark IV mocap helmets for facial performance capture
• Industry-grade workstation, built to spec: see our standard build
• Remote for the first 3–6 months, transitioning to hybrid on-site thereafter

Work Arrangement

We'll start fully remote for a 3–6 month grace period while you ramp up and get embedded with the team, then transition to a hybrid on-site schedule.

Columbus is also a genuinely affordable place to build a life relative to the coastal cities most gamedev careers run through. Cost of living runs roughly: 50% below Seattle and Santa Cruz — driven mostly by housing, where Columbus's median home price (around $263K) compares to $808K in Seattle and $1.24M in Santa Cruz — and it stays competitive even against Montreal, historically one of the more cost-conscious major gamedev hubs in North America.

Makeshift Software Inc is the developer and publisher of Hexborn.