Lead Gameplay Animator, Fortnite

Job Description

ART

What We Do

Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.

What You'll Do

Epic Games is seeking a Lead Gameplay Animator to join our Fortnite team! Under the guidance of an Animation Director, you'll help oversee the creation of items, weapons, and player abilities for seasonal content in Battle Royale. You'll help push for the best player experience by working cross-functionally with other leads across Design, Art, and Engineering. A successful candidate for this role will have a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of animation and how they relate to the overall gameplay feel, with the ability to implement those animations in Unreal 5.

In this role, you will
• Manage a team of animators while providing them feedback and guidance where needed.
• Create and guide pre-vis concept animations that inform and inspire gameplay items based on seasonal themes.
• Attend cross-discipline meetings with Production, Design, Technical Animation, Technical Design, VFX, and Implementation teams to help drive the style and feel of Fortnite's animation.
• Organize and facilitate cross-functional collaboration with other animation teams to drive the creation of motions for weapons, items, and abilities.
• Collaborate cohesively with a director in a 'dailies-style' critique environment to identify optimal solutions for potential issues as they arise.
• Refine gameplay animations hands-on as needed to ensure top-notch quality animations are being implemented within the targeted timelines.

What we're looking for
• A strong animation reel demonstrating expertise in body mechanics and appealing motions.
• A focus on hand-keyed character and creature animation.
• Experience in leading a gameplay animation team.
• Relevant experience in Maya, Motion Builder, and gameplay systems.
• Good instincts for realistic and stylized motions.
• Familiarity with the Unreal Engine 5 animation pipeline is a plus.
• Related skills such as modeling, skinning, and rigging.
• Experience with shipping at least one AAA title.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.

New York City Base Pay Range

$185,075 — $308,458 USD

California Base Pay Range

$162,866 — $271,443 USD

Washington Base Pay Range

$155,463 — $259,105 USD

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r04bx1-3-145-174-160-42 in your application.