Viewmodel Gameplay Animator Sledgehammer Games

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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 withcreativevision 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. Ifyou'reready 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  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.

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.

• 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…