Gameplay Animator (Senior)

Bonfire is looking for a Senior Animator to bring characters to life and create impactful gameplay experiences through exciting combat and expressive motion. Bonfire Studios is a highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary environment where every developer’s voice shapes the company, the game, and the tasks we work on each day. As a senior animator on a small, focused team, you will have the opportunity to help shape our new IP and create amazing experiences for our players.

About the role…

• You’ll collaborate with a lean team of skilled and passionate game developers.
• You will have the opportunity to participate in focused, cross disciplinary teams to jam on character development, creating combat that feels amazing, as well as other features and team goals.
• You’ll have the opportunity to meld minds with engineers and tech artists to develop custom rigs, tools and animation technology to improve our workflows, streamline development and create high quality motion for the game.
• You’ll collaborate closely with the animation team and other developers to align on animation look/feel, quality bar, process/efficiency, tech, etc.
• You’ll join playtests, learning what is best for the game through experiencing the game as a player and adjusting your animations for the best gameplay experience.
• You'll wear many hats, have ample opportunity to utilize your prior experience and also be supported in experimenting with new areas of interest to you.
• Your ultimate impact on the studio will be unbounded; we lean on each other's passions and embrace one another's unique perspectives on game development to help us all grow as a team together. You will have many opportunities to contribute to areas of the game and the company outside your core focus.

We’re excited about you because you…

• Have proven experience creating high quality, in-game animations, ideally on multiple shipped titles.
• Are excited by the competitive multiplayer combat space and understand the importance animation plays there.
• Have a keen understanding of combat systems and exceptional skill in crafting satisfying, impactful assets to drive those systems.
• Have experience developing animation systems in new engines.
• Feel comfortable taking ownership of features and seeing them though to the end.
• Are highly self motivated and good at understanding and focusing on the biggest needs for the game.
• Are highly skilled at animation and are able to convey character through gameplay animations.
• Push for animation fidelity, but are always ready to put gameplay quality first.
• Believe, as we do, that great games are the product of great teams that put their people first.
• Want to have a large impact while collaborating with other talented developers in a tight knit AAA studio, rolling up your sleeves and using your passions and interests to shape your role at the company
• Thrive on collaboration and communicate well with developers of all disciplines.
• Are open, humble, eager, and excited about learning and contributing in multiple areas of the studio. Your curiosity propels you to jump in and dive deep on new problems.
• Value building trust with the people you work with.
• Value working with a diverse team and welcome different perspectives.
• Have a growth mindset and also care about helping others develop.
• Are as passionate about the creative process and developing games as we are!

You’ll love working at Bonfire because we…

• Have strong values that include transparency, ownership, and trust. We are a people-first studio that also strives for a high bar of excellence in our creations.
• Celebrate craft expertise because we are a small, tight-knit group of highly experienced game developers who are as passionate about our team as we are our game.
• Offer opportunities to learn and contribute beyond your focused discipline in areas of interest or passion.
• Practice candor and feedback, leveling ourselves and each other up in the process.
• Play games and have fun together, kindling our own love for games and learning about each other.