Technical Animator - Remote or On Site

Studio Wildcard•Redmond, WA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We're Studio Wildcard, developers of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved -- one of the most popular and original video games in recent years. Despite our massive success, we've been able to stay independent, so that we can steer our own future in games and beyond. There's never been a better time for you to join this adventure and help us build ARK Survival Ascended, the next chapter of our original hit franchise! We're expanding and updating many of the ARK community's most beloved features while taking full advantage of the latest tools and technologies. And now we're searching for an exceptionally talented and passionate Technical Artist who can create high-impact work for the expanding ARK franchise.

Requirements

3+ years of professional experience as a Technical Animator / Technical Artist in game development, with at least 1 shipped title
Strong expertise in Unreal Engine (preferably UE5), especially Animation Blueprints, procedural animation techniques, IK/FK systems, and real-time character/creature workflows
Practical experience with physics simulation in real-time engines (ragdoll, active physics blending, joint constraints, momentum-based animation)
Ability to quickly adapt to new pipelines, tools, and evolving engine features
Excellent problem-solving skills and strong communication

Nice To Haves

Previous work on creature animation
Programming experience
Full character/creature rigging pipelines from Maya → UE5
Motion capture retargeting, cleanup, and procedural layering
Knowledge of tool scripting (Python)
Familiarity with performance optimization

Responsibilities

Create sophisticated IK solutions (foot placement, terrain adaptation) in Unreal Engine Control Rig and Anim Blueprints
Rig human characters, dinosaurs, and fantasy creatures with precise attention to anatomy, understanding joint placement and muscle deformation
Design and implement advanced procedural and gameplay-driven animation systems using Animation Blueprints (AnimBPs) in Unreal Engine 5
Build responsive state machines, blend spaces, pose drivers, animation modifiers, notifies, and layered logic tightly coupled to gameplay and physics
Develop physics-based animation systems including active ragdoll blending
Leverage Houdini to procedurally modify, generate, or optimize meshes and skeletons (e.g., procedural bone/joint chain creation based on anatomical references, topology adjustments for deformation, procedural merging of skeletons)
Solve complex technical animation challenges while collaborating with modeling, animation, design, and engineering teams
Perform quality checks, optimization (including LOD behavior), and seamless engine integration
Create clear technical documentation and help evolve the animation & rigging pipeline

Benefits

We pay 100% of all premiums for the employee and discounted rates for dependent premiums.
Our coverage includes Medical (5 different plans to choose from), Dental, Vision, Short Term and Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, 401(k) option, 100% covered Parental Leave, PTO, Paid Holidays, Unlimited Sick Time, and FSA/ HSA options

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