Viewmodel Gameplay Animator (Contract) - Sledgehammer Games

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

Viewmodel Gameplay Animator (Contract) - Sledgehammer Games

Your Platform Sledgehammer Games is a leading developer in the video game industry, best known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise. Since its founding in 2009, the studio has delivered iconic titles like "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare," "Call of Duty: WWII," and most recently, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.” We combine cutting‑edge technology with creative vision to produce games that resonate with players worldwide. With a focus on creating high‑quality multiplayer experiences and captivating single‑player campaigns, we continue to shape the future of first‑person shooters.

We are looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our studio team in San Mateo, California. In this role you will partner closely with our teams at our other studio locations in the United States, Toronto, U.K. and Australia in the creation of epic content for some of the biggest games in the world. If you're ready to be part of a dynamic and collaborative environment where your skills can make a real impact, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us.

Sledgehammer Games is part of the Activision family and is wholly owned by Microsoft. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.sledgehammergames.com or search for Sledgehammer Games on your favorite social media platform. Please note: This is a Temporary Fixed‑Term Contract, up to one (1) year. Remote Work is permitted for this role.

Your Mission

As a Viewmodel Gameplay Animator, you will create polished first‑person weapon animations that support responsive, readable, and impactful gameplay. You will work closely with animation, design, engineering, tech art, rigging, modeling, and other content teams to bring weapons and gameplay systems to life. This role is focused on contributing to active production and delivering high‑quality animation within an established development pipeline. Priorities can change in a fast‑paced environment, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following 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.

Player Profile

• 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.

Bonus Points

• Experience working on a first‑person shooter.
• Experience with motion capture cleanup, retargeting, or editing.
• Experience with proprietary game engines or animation pipelines.
• Experience mentoring junior or associate animators.
• Interest in participating in previs or mocap shoots, if required by the project.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of complex animation tasks from initial direction through implementation and polish.
• Ability to provide constructive feedback and technical guidance to less experienced animators.
• Ability to identify risks early and help resolve production issues independently.

We love hearing

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. The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast‑paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [e-mail]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

• 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.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $30.47 - $56.35 Hourly. 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.

About Activision Blizzard

Activision Blizzard, Inc. is the world’s largest interactive entertainment company, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Skylanders®, 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! We’re proud to be recognized as one of FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies To Work For®” for five consecutive years and have earned a spot on FORTUNE’s “Most Admired Companies,” and “Future 50” lists. Our 10,000+ global employees are some of the best and brightest talents across entertainment, media, and technology.

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