Senior Animator

Who We Are

Gardens is a new remote games studio from developers of games like Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Blaseball, Dustforce, Ashen, Ultima, and more. We’re named after the games we grow together — lush, living worlds that bring players together to cultivate lasting friendships. Worlds that offer surprising multiplayer experiences and flourish with the help of their communities.

We believe a team of diverse voices has the most to say, and we are committed to providing a healthy, inclusive, collaborative, and transparent work environment for all!

As a fully-distributed studio, we aspire to support employees living and working where they want. We offer competitive pay, stock options, non-accrual paid time off with flexibility in timing, 35 hour work weeks, and robust benefits (including full medical and vision, dental, 401k contributions and more)!

We are currently creating our flagship project — a shared 3D fantasy adventure inspired by our favorite memories playing online games over the years.

It’s the world we want to play in every day!

Who We're Looking For

You’ll hand key animations for various types of Player actions and interactions, design the movement for familiar and unknown fauna spanning unique fantasy biomes, and be trusted with move set ideas and iterations. Fauna can include cute and cuddly animal friends, monstrous abominations, or giants. Additionally, you'll break new ground in third-person character motion as we build an ever-growing online game.

We seek collaborative individuals excited to contribute innovative and original ideas across all aspects of the game's design & production, working together as a team.

Responsibilities

• Breathing stylistic life and physicality into rigged 3D models.

• Ability to pull from imagined and real-life references.

• Advocate for excellence in gameplay and animation across the entire studio.

• Work closely with all departments to ensure fauna feels unique, dynamic, polished, and consistent from animation to gameplay.

• Collaborate with other animators to create awesome player-creature interactions and scenarios.

• Reports to Animation Lead.

Qualifications

• Excellent understanding of hand key animation.

• Ability and drive to contribute innovative and original ideas across all aspects of the game's design & production.

• Great instinct for timing and movement.

• Ability to creatively overcome complex gameplay and systems problems with innovative solutions.

• Expert in Autodesk Maya.

• Excited and able to work with an agile and flexible team and participate in major decisions.

• Excellent communication and documentation skills.

• Readiness to work with integrity, honesty, and accountability, taking ownership of your actions and decisions.

• Capable of working independently, keeping on-task and motivated.

• Located in PT, MT, CT, ET time zone, or willing to relocate.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience animating enemy combat scenarios.

• Deep experience with animation blueprints.

We are a small, highly collaborative studio, eager to give people the chance to bring their full selves to work. Tell us how your unique skill set and life experiences make you the ideal candidate for this role!

Gardens Offers*

• Competitive Salaries and Pay Transparency

• Stock Options

• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage

• 401k Contributions

• Non-accrual paid time off with flexibility in timing.

• A fully-distributed studio. We aspire to support employees living and working where they want.

Benefits and perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Gardens and the country in which you work.

We are supportive of a diverse workforce and strive for inclusiveness. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, criminal history, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.

Compensation Range: $145K - $195K