The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!
Here are just a few of the many, many positions being advertised right now.
Senior Character Technical Artist, Sony PlayStation
Location: Bend, Oregon
Sony Bend Studio, the creator of Days Gone, Syphon Filter and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, is looking for top talent to join our in passionate team in creating a new AAA PlayStation 4 exclusive.
Help drive and contribute to the technical development of characters and animation for AAA products with a specialized focus on creating character rigging methods, animation tools, and pipelines.
Responsibilities:
Develop character rigs and skeletons that meet the technical limitations of game engines while insuring the characters movements look as realistic as possible
Develop and implement skinning methods to achieve realistic deformation for faces, bodies, and clothes, including the creation of tools and scripts to assist in completing these tasks quickly and efficiently during production
Develop animation tools to assist in the creation of character animation and motion capture clean up, using layers, blends, FK and IK setups, etc.
Develop tools and methods for synchronizing character animations with object animations in game
Develop methods for animating character attachments like props, cloth, and hair procedurally and through baking out animations from character rigs
Work directly with animation programmers to implement all in-game animations defined by the game design and within technical limitations
Take on a leadership role within the art team. This entails: contributing to schedule management needs, providing guidance to support the diplomatic resolution of complex problems, providing input on team performance reviews, facilitating career coaching, and training and mentoring other technical artists in developing advanced technical skills and artistic abilities
Keep aware of industry trends and technical techniques, evaluate competitive products, and determine areas we can improve or innovate. Communicate innovations in a convincing way and collaborate with the leadership team to develop plans for implementation
Provide input on the technical methods used to achieve the artistic goals and vision through all phases of the game development cycle from pre-production through final product release. This entails ensuring all animated events are of the highest technical quality and uphold the integrity of the games design and artistic vision as a whole
Serve as a technical resource for all phases of production and other studio art and technical needs. This includes, but is not limited to: conducting general research, developing cutting-edge tools and techniques, and testing new systems or tools. Provide training, transmit industry related information, and convey concerns in a constructive way by providing solutions to those concerns
Independently undertake research and information gathering prior to the commencement of a new task to ensure game design needs, reference materials, artistic direction, and technological considerations are all effectively managed to meet the defined goals
Qualifications
Highly proficient in Mel scripting, object rigging, and skinning both mechanical and organic assets. Some knowledge of Python, Java, C++, and max scripting is a plus.
Highly proficient in the use of 3D animation software to create animation rigs, skin characters, and do animation testing. This requires mastery of 3D software and the ability to analyze photos, videos, and concept art reference to help achieve the desired quality of character animation and deformation
Knowledge of Havok for rag doll, cloth, and hair setup is a plus
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
Strong time management and project management skills
Strong data management skills, with the ability to manage and track large amounts of data as they go through the art pipeline with attention to naming conventions, directory structures, and other processes
Extensive portfolio with examples of current, hands-on work, including: object animation (both mechanical and organic), use of Havok and other physics-based tools, and tools and scripts used to assist in the creation of object animation, rigging, and setup
Some previous or next-gen video game platform experience is desirable (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360)
Minimum 5 years’ game art production or film-related experience required; 8-10 years’ preferred
Minimum 2 years’ post-high school education or training required; Master’s degree and/or professional certification preferred
Does this sound like a job you're interested in? Apply here!
Lead Level Designer, Double Fine Productions
Location: San Francisco, CA
Look, Tim said I could basically write whatever I want here, so I’m going to be honest with you.
Being a level designer is an amazing job—you get to assemble, populate, and orchestrate a tiny world, full of its own inhabitants, stories, and amazing places to discover. You get to play with a huge toy box of models, characters, enemies, objects, and interactions to construct a pocket universe and, often, you get to help make a bunch of new toys that are needed for the fantastic ideas that you and the rest of your level team came up with. You get to make moments and places that people will remember for the rest of their lives.
At Double Fine, we’re just getting started on Psychonauts 2 and we’re giving level designers the biggest toy box imaginable to play with—the HUMAN MIND. We’re looking for a Lead Level Designer with wild creativity and technical acumen to help us imagine the best, most inventive, most mind-bending mental landscapes possible & manage a small Level Design team to design, layout, build, script, test, polish, and ship them.
Responsibilities:
Serve as the project’s key expert and advocate for the art and craft of 3D level design.
Bring creative inspiration, new
