About Splash Damage
Splash Damage is dedicated to crafting team-based games that ignite friendships as much as they do healthy competition and teamwork. We’ve forged enduring experiences within some of gaming’s most beloved franchises over the years and are now entering a bold new era fuelled by ambitious projects utilising both established and original IP, a move into self-publishing and expansion into new locations.
We're advocates for a healthy work-life balance and believe that our teams create the best work when they have a range of perspectives and experiences to draw from. We're committed to increasing diversity across our studio, fostering an inclusive environment to ensure everyone's voices are heard.
Our efforts have been recognised with several best employer awards over the years. Most recently, we were awarded the coveted 3-star ‘world-class employer’ accreditation by Best Companies and named the 58th best large company to work for in the UK, and the 29th best large company in London.
Due to the on-going COVID-19 situation, we're all currently working from home. We continue to hire across our projects and will set you up remotely for the time being.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family, including:
- Private Medical and Dental Cover for you and your family, along with the 24/7 Babylon digital GP service
- Get mental health support from our trained Mental Health First Aiders or via our third-party counselling service
- 24/7 employee assistance helpline offering advice and support on a range of topics, including health, relationships, finances, and the law
- 25 days of annual leave, plus 8 public holidays and our annual closure between Christmas and New Year’s
- Industry-leading fully-paid 30 weeks maternity leave & 10 weeks paternity leave
- Enhanced company pension contributions
- Our famous social events are open to you and your family to help you build friendships and have some fun along the way
- Group life assurance scheme
The Role
We’re looking for a Lead Animator to join a new team at Splash Damage
and help bring our characters to life. As Lead Animator at Splash Damage,
you will be responsible for working with the team to conceive, prototype,
and oversee the implementation of exciting gameplay features, manage
the animation team and collaborate with the Art and Creative Directors to
drive for high and consistent quality across the game.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with Art and Design Directors to create a technically
sound, engaging and memorable game - Get to grips with our proprietary animation tool and provide regular feedback on how to improve it
- Working with programmers, artists and designers to contribute to
the implementation of animations into the game - Testing, reviewing and iterating upon animations to tune them to
the highest quality - Demonstrate strong keyframe animation ability paying particular
attention to making sure animations support the fast-paced nature
of the game - Manage the animation team including holding regular 1-2-1s, setting
objectives, looking after the team’s welfare and providing mentoring - Demonstrate a knowledge of working with and capturing Mocap
data, while understanding the full pipeline.
Essential Skills and Experience
- Experience using 3D animation software, such 3DS Max/Character
Studio - Demonstrable ability creating stylised human animations as well as
mechanical animations such as weapons - The desire to collaborate with game designers, programmers and
artists - Good working knowledge of game development workflows, engines
(eg. Unreal), processes and tools - Understanding of character preparation from modelling, rigging and
skinning - A keen motive to be proactive and efficient in work methods whilst
maintaining high standards - A great team player, able to communicate, learn from and teach
others in a respectable manner. - Excellent communication and collaborative problem-solving skills
- Management of an experienced character animation team
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Have extensive professional experience in the video games industry
with at least 3 commercially released titles - Some experience of working on mods or independent game projects
- Experience with technical animation – rigging/skinning and problem
solving
Splash Damage is an equal opportunity employer. We believe our teams create better work when they have a range of perspectives to draw from, and we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment that celebrates diversity.
