We build ground-breaking games and content for some of the world’s biggest publishers including Microsoft, Sony, Apple and Sega. Sumo Newcastle joined the Sumo Digital family in January of 2018. As a former CCP Games studio, we have a solid history of cutting-edge development, and now with Sumo, a spectacular future of ‘AAA’ game development for some of the biggest and best publishers in the world.
It’s an exciting time to be part of Sumo, winners of the Develop: Star Awards 2019 Best Studio and GI Biz 2020 Best Places to Work; big things are on the horizon and we want you to be part of our continued journey. Join us!
Sumo Newcastle is made up of a diverse mix of fantastic people, although sometimes, some groups are still under-represented. We are working to remove obstacles that can make it difficult for those groups to progress their careers in the games industry. We welcome applications from under-represented people in the gaming industry, including, but not limited to BAME, LGBQT+, women, people with physical disabilities, neurodiversity or mental health issues, and parents or carers.
The role @ Sumo
Sumo Newcastle is looking for a Senior Animator, capable of creating dynamic and compelling animations for gameplay systems using both keyframe and motion capture data. You will be well versed in the principles of animation and videogame production pipelines and how Animation as a discipline fits within that process.
With our new IP Hood: Outlaws and Legends and other unannounced games in development, Sumo Newcastle are undertaking some very ambitious projects, so as a small and growing animation team it’s an ideal time to join and make your mark on something big!
Reporting to the Lead Animator, you will be a strong voice for the animation team within the studio and will be expected to own complex gameplay features from start to finish, working collaboratively with other disciplines to plan, prototype, create and polish those systems to a high quality.
The ideal candidate will enjoy being involved in a friendly, hard working environment and be able to communicate well within the art team as well as with other development disciplines. If you are looking for a role that provides a huge amount of creative input, ownership, and responsibility for important features within the game, this is the job for you!
Experience:
- Industry experience: 5+ years of videogame animation experience
- Shipped at least 1 AAA title
- High degree of proficiency with Maya and/or Motionbuilder
- Proven experience working with animation graphs and systems, including the prototyping of new gameplay features
- Unreal Engine 4 experience is highly desirable
Key Skills and Responsibilities:
- Production of high quality keyframe and motion capture animation
- Contribute to the design and execution of complex gameplay systems
- Implement animations into engine with full ownership of your work
- Provide detailed input about the character creation process, from concept and design, through to modelling, rigging and final animation
- Assist the Lead Animator in mentoring, planning, and scheduling
- Be heavily involved in the continued development of tools and pipeline processes, maintaining an understanding of industry best practices
- Assist in planning and directing motion capture sessions
- Serve as an active participant in team discussions, critiques, and reviews
- Meet production schedules and deadlines
- Communicate effectively with peers
- Be a strong team player with a desire to push the quality of animation in the game
What we Offer:
Sumo Digital is one of the UK's most prolific game developers, enjoying over fifteen years of stability and growth. We have UK studios in Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leamington Spa, The Chinese Room in Brighton and Red Kite Games in Leeds, along with Sumo Video Games in Pune, India.
We offer a superb benefits package including generous holidays and flexi-time. We care about our people, with an emphasis on the work/life balance and out of office events such as our legendary annual Sumo ‘Big Day Out’, plus epic Christmas parties and much more! Our regular studio Game Jams are a highlight - winning concepts can go on to commercial release, so far including Snake Pass and the upcoming Spyder for Apple Arcade.
We are proud to be in the North-East of England in the Northern Design Centre on the Quayside next to the River Tyne, and will soon move into purpose-built, state-of-the-art facilities nearby. Newcastle was voted the number one place that travellers should visit in 2018 by Rough Guide and has everything that a major European city has to offer; culture, heritage, lively bars and fantastic retail. It is an exciting cosmopolitan city while also boasting plenty of beautiful outdoor space including several beaches less than an hour’s drive away.
Our environment is relaxed, friendly and built on every team member having the opportunity to shine and have real, meaningful input into the games that we create. We pride ourselves on our positive atmosphere and sociable team who regularly partake in shared interest groups, lunchtime and after-work clubs, and charity fundraising events.
