About the Role
Keywords Studios is a global provider of creative and technical services to the video games industry. In Japan, we support leading publishers, developers, agencies, and IP owners through both local and global teams.
Responsibilities
- Create high-quality keyframe and/or motion capture animations for characters, creatures, vehicles, and gameplay systems.
- Develop expressive and believable movement that supports gameplay responsiveness and narrative goals.
- Produce polished animation cycles including locomotion, combat, traversal, facial animation, cinematic performances, and interactive sequences.
- Maintain consistency of animation style, quality, and performance across the project.
- Implement and refine animations within game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity.
- Troubleshoot and resolve animation issues related to rigging, blending, state machines, and gameplay integration.
- Collaborate closely with design, engineering, cinematic, audio, and art teams to achieve gameplay and storytelling objectives.
- Participate in creative reviews, sprint planning, and milestone deliverables.
- Contribute ideas to improve animation pipelines, workflows, and player experience.
- Work with technical artists and programmers to ensure animations meet engine and performance requirements.
- Optimize animation assets for runtime performance and memory constraints.
- Assist with motion capture shoots, cleanup, retargeting, and implementation.
- Contribute to animation systems including blend trees, state machines, IK systems, and procedural animation workflows.
- Maintain organized source files and documentation according to studio standards.
- Stay current with emerging animation techniques, tools, and industry trends.
Requirements
- Applicants must be currently residing in Japan and possess valid authorization to work in Japan.
- Shipped at least one AAA, AA, or commercially released game title.
- Advanced understanding of animation principles, including timing, weight, posing, spacing, and body mechanics.
- Understanding of rigging constraints, animation systems, and technical pipelines.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and feedback skills.
- Strong problem-solving and organizational abilities.
Skills
- Autodesk Maya
- MotionBuilder
- Blender
- Unreal Engine
- Unity
Location
- Japan
- Tokyo
Work Type
- Remote
- Full Time
- Contract
Experience Level
- 1-Year Contract
Education Level
- Bachelor’s degree in Animation, Game Art, Fine Arts, Multimedia, or equivalent industry experience.
About the Company
- Keywords Studios is a global provider of creative and technical services to the video games industry, with over 13,000 professionals across 70+ studios in 25+ countries.
- We support clients across the entire game lifecycle through four core Service Lines: Create — Game development, art production, and audio; Globalize — Localization, localization QA, functional testing; Engage — Marketing, LiveOps, community, and player support; Media & Entertainment.
- In Japan, Keywords Studios delivers its full range of services across Create, Globalize, and Engage, supporting leading publishers, developers, agencies, and IP owners through both local and global teams.
Equal Opportunity
- Keywords is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and supportive working environment.
