Animation Artist III - 2XKO

As an Animation Artist at Riot you will uphold craft standards, mentor the gameplay team and influence other disciplines, including VFX artists, character artists, and cinematic animators.  A great reel will showcase a diverse selection of gameplay animation and applied working knowledge in the fighting game genre.  You demonstrate a strong foundation in the principles of animation, including weight, anticipation, and impact. Your craft expertise will breathe life into iconic and beloved characters for players.

As an Senior Animation Artist on our Unpublished Fighting Game you will be responsible for all aspects of gameplay animation from early ideation to final shipping quality release. Your critical eye for quality and appeal will help strengthen our animation style. Your past experience as a gameplay animator will enable you to translate the gameplay and thematics of League of Legends Champions into the fighting game medium. You are also knowledgeable in the fighting game space, understanding the impact on a highly competitive game where every frame of animation is analyzed by passionate fighting game fans.

Responsibilities:

• Set an animation vision based on the game design that embodies the creative direction.
• Create animated action sequences with cinematic camera work.
• Work with the Cambat designers and engineers to create memorable and expressive character moments.
• Generate prototype VFX that communicates gameplay mechanics.  
• Understand League of Legends characters and recognize opportunities to enhance champion expression.
• Meet project deadlines in a timely manner without compromising artistic integrity
• Consistently communicate with the team by giving and receiving feedback, directing next steps, and providing clear goals and outcomes for yourself and the team.

Required Qualifications: 

• 5+ years of professional experience working in animation
• 5+ years of professional experience working in Maya
• Strong examples of melee combat animations in a shipped AAA game or feature film.
• Experience working with combat designers or combat layout artists.
• Experience working specifically in the fighting game genre

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Unreal, or relevant game engine
• Strong examples of melee combat animations in a shipped AAA game or feature film.
• Strong pre-vis and storytelling animation skills 
• Experience in cinematography/camera work

As a part of the application process, you will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be asked to complete an art test.

Our Perks:

At Riot we strongly believe in work / life balance, and we encourage that with our open paid time off policy, paid parental leave (for both primary and secondary carers) and flexible work schedules to fit your lifestyle. We also believe that work should be fun, we have co-op gaming areas, a play fund so you can broaden and deepen your knowledge of players and community, and all the snacks you would ever need to power through your day (even healthy snacks!).And that’s not all we offer, there’s also:

• Medical Insurance that covers you and your dependents
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness fund
• Donation matching of time and money to registered charities
• Learning and Development opportunities

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.