Character Animator

Company Description TheLeashlessStudio is a gaming startup dedicated to creating fun, high-quality experiences across both digital and tabletop platforms. The team focuses on inventive gameplay, engaging storytelling, and distinctive visual styles that appeal to a wide range of players. As a growing studio, it values collaboration, creativity, and experimentation in game design and production. Team members have the opportunity to influence projects from early concept through final release and help shape the studio’s evolving portfolio.

Role Description This is a full-time, remote Character Animator role. The Character Animator will bring digital characters to life by creating expressive, polished animation that supports gameplay, narrative, and overall player experience. Day-to-day responsibilities include building and refining character rigs, creating animation cycles and performance-based sequences, collaborating with designers and artists to define character movement, and integrating animations into the game engine. The role also involves working with motion capture data, participating in storyboarding for key scenes, and iterating on feedback from the creative team to maintain consistency with the project’s visual and narrative direction. The animator will closely coordinate with developers to ensure animations are performant, responsive, and aligned with design requirements.

Qualifications

• Strong character animation skills, including keyframe Animation and performance-driven movement for games.
• Proficiency in Rigging characters and creatures for efficient, flexible animation pipelines.
• Ability to contribute to visual storytelling through Storyboarding and planning character actions and scenes.
• Hands-on experience with Autodesk Maya for rigging, animation, and asset preparation.
• Understanding of game development workflows and integration of animation into common game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine).
• Strong observational skills, attention to detail, and ability to convey weight, timing, and emotion in character movement.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills in a remote team environment, including comfort with feedback and iteration.
• Relevant education or training in animation, game art, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Portfolio or demo reel showcasing character animation work, preferably for games or interactive media.