At the heart of Notorious' first game is our combat system - our paramount game pillar is literally "Combat is King"! We're seeking an animator who has the experience and a passion in combat systems to help bring to life our player characters and a variety of creatures through animation.

We're seeking an animator who likes to take charge and drive a vision forward, with an eye for readability, crispness, emotion, and impact. The ideal candidate prefers stylized animation and is not held back from realism or typical human constraints.

What project you'd be working on

We're currently building a new core fantasy RPG game for PC/Console using Unreal 5. Elements of this project include open worlds, core RPG fantasy theme, PvPvE, third-person action-based combat, player stories, and engaging systems. It's still very early and anything can change, which you can be a part of.

About Notorious

Notorious Studios is a venture-backed start-up founded by core developers from Blizzard Entertainment who worked on titles like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch.

We aspire to have a flatter organizational structure where everyone has a chance to lead. We have a culture of open and candid communication where the best idea wins. Sparks can fly, but we always attack ideas, not people.

As a startup, we're focused on minimizing wasted time and maximizing results. We have a hatred of bureaucracy and are focused on our mission of bringing underserved players new experiences that only a small, agile studio can accomplish.

Responsibilities

• As one of our first animators, you'll bring our very first characters to life through animation, setting the bar for excellence

• Contribute to the formation of our animation pipeline

• Conceive and create animations for real-time game assets - including prototypes to help designers and engineers with earlier visualization

• Collaborate with artists, designers, and engineers to ensure assets meet gameplay and technical needs

• As part of our small, initial art team you'll help us grow and build our art style as well as team culture

• Iterate frequently based on your intuitions as a player, feedback from playtesters, and from the team itself

• Contribute design ideas for our first prototypes, as everyone on our team helps shape the games we make

Required Qualifications

• 4 years experience doing character animation for combat based games

• Strong understanding of the principles of motion

• Strong knowledge of industry-standard tools (Maya, MotionBuilder, 3DS Max, etc.)

• Ability to work without a producer to self-manage yourself and scope projects and features

• Strong analytical skills that aid in understanding and articulating what makes games great

• Solid team player. Either you work on a small team already, or are excited to work on a small, scrappy, tight-knit group

• Passion and love for games

Ideally, you have (but not required):

• Hands-on experience with and strong understanding of Unreal

• Rigging experience

• Passion for RPG and core fantasy worlds

Benefits

• An office! We believe in the creative power of working in person. Our schedule is Tues-Thurs in-office, Monday, Friday WFH (optional)

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision

• Open paid-time-off policy with a minimum enforced by the company. We trust you to take time off when you need it

• Competitive salaries that value your experience and dedication

• Stock options in an early stage startup. We want you to be motivated to stick with us for the long haul

• Relocation assistance, and immigration where applicable