Senior Animator - Games (Hard Rock Games)

Hard Rock Digital

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Hard Rock Games is seeking a Senior Animator to create animations for characters, items, environments, and visual effects across its free-to-play games. The animator will work with artists, game designers, and developers, taking creative direction while contributing ideas and owning work from concept through in-engine delivery. The role includes adapting animation to different art styles and helping ensure animations are polished and perform well in production.

Requirements

At least 4 years of professional animation experience in games or interactive media, with shipped titles or live products.
A portfolio demonstrating character, object, environment, and VFX animation across more than one style.
Excellent understanding of motion, timing, weight, and core animation principles.
Strong attention to detail and a consistent standard of polish.
Ability to follow direction while taking ownership and contributing creative ideas.
Creative, resourceful problem-solving, especially under tight deadlines.
Strong communication skills and comfort working across art, design, and engineering.
Experience succeeding in a fast-paced production environment and managing multiple priorities.
Advanced experience with at least one 3D package: 3ds Max, Maya, or Blender.
Advanced experience with Spine or similar 2D skeletal animation software, including meshes and weighted deformation.
Solid understanding of rigging and skin weighting for characters and props.
Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop for preparing, slicing, and editing animation assets.
Experience integrating and working with animations in game engines.

Nice To Haves

Experience animating for slot, casino, or other real-money gaming products.
Particle and shader-based VFX experience in Unity.
Familiarity with Adobe After Effects or other compositing tools.
Experience optimizing animations for mobile and web performance.
Experience mentoring junior animators or reviewing others' work.

Responsibilities

Create high-quality 2D and 3D animations for characters, items, and environments.
Design and animate visual effects for gameplay moments, wins, and feature transitions.
Build and refine rigs and skin weighting so assets move naturally and are production-ready.
Adapt animation approaches to styles ranging from stylized to realistic.
Prepare, integrate, and test animations, working with developers to ensure they perform well in-engine.
Collaborate with art, design, and engineering to turn creative direction into polished motion.
Pitch ideas that improve the player experience and own work from first pass through final delivery.
Solve technical and creative problems resourcefully when timelines, tools, or assets present constraints.
Give and receive feedback openly and help raise the animation standard across the team.