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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.
• 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.
• Strong portfolio or demo reel demonstrating high-quality gameplay and cinematic animation work.
• 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

• Tokyo, Japan

Work Type

• Remote
• Full Time
• 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.