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About the Role

Keywords Studios is seeking an experienced Animator to create high-quality keyframe and/or motion capture animations for characters, creatures, vehicles, and gameplay systems. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver expressive and natural movements that support gameplay and storytelling, ensuring consistent animation style, quality, and performance throughout projects. This role involves implementing and adjusting animations within game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity, and optimizing assets for performance and memory constraints.

Responsibilities

Create high-quality keyframe and/or motion capture animations for characters, creatures, vehicles, and gameplay systems.
Produce expressive and natural movements that support gameplay operability and storytelling.
Create high-quality animations including locomotion, combat, traversal actions, facial animations, cinematic performances, and in-game sequences with interactions.
Maintain consistent animation style, quality, and performance throughout the project.
Implement and adjust animations within game engines such as Unreal Engine and Unity.
Identify and resolve animation challenges related to rigging, blending, state machines, and gameplay integration.
Collaborate closely with design, engineering, cinematics, audio, and art teams to achieve gameplay and storytelling goals.
Actively participate in creative reviews, sprint planning, and milestone achievement.
Propose ideas for improving animation pipelines, workflows, and player experience.
Work with technical artists and programmers to ensure animations meet engine and performance requirements.
Optimize animation assets considering runtime performance and memory constraints.
Assist with motion capture shoots, cleanup, retargeting, and implementation.
Organize and manage source files and documentation according to studio standards.
Continuously update knowledge of the latest animation technologies, tools, and industry trends.

Requirements

Proficient in Japanese with business-level English proficiency.
Bachelor's degree in Animation, Game Art, Fine Art, Multimedia, or equivalent practical experience.
Experience developing and releasing AAA, AA, or commercially released game titles.
Advanced understanding of animation principles including timing, weight, posing, spacing, and body mechanics.
Portfolio or demo reel showcasing high-quality gameplay and cinematic animation.
High proficiency in industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, MotionBuilder, Blender, or equivalent tools.
Experience implementing animations in Unreal Engine, Unity, or proprietary game engines.
Understanding of rigging constraints, animation systems, and technical pipelines.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and feedback reception skills.
Strong problem-solving and organizational skills.
Must be a resident of Japan and possess valid work authorization for Japan.

Skills

Keyframe Animation
Motion Capture Animation
Character Animation
Creature Animation
Vehicle Animation
Gameplay Animation
Cinematic Animation
Facial Animation
Locomotion
Combat Animation
Traversal Animation
Animation Implementation
Animation Adjustment
Game Engine Integration
Unreal Engine
Unity
Rigging
Animation Blending
State Machines
Gameplay Integration
Animation Optimization
Motion Capture Cleanup
Motion Capture Retargeting
Autodesk Maya
MotionBuilder
Blender
Technical Art
Animation Pipeline Development
Workflow Improvement
Player Experience Enhancement

Location

Tokyo, Japan
Remote

Work Type

Full Time
Contract
Remote

Experience Level

Professional

Education Level

Bachelor's Degree
Equivalent Practical Experience

About the Company

Keywords Studios is a global leader providing creative and technical services to the video game industry.
With over 13,000 professionals across 70+ studios in 25+ countries, we support the entire game lifecycle through three core service lines: Create, Globalize, and Engage.
In Japan, Keywords Studios offers the full suite of Create, Globalize, and Engage services, supporting major publishers, developers, agencies, and IP owners through our domestic and international teams.
Our Tokyo-based development studio, Wizcorp, along with established localization, QA, player support, and marketing functions, serves the largest and most influential companies in the Japanese game and entertainment industry.

Equal Opportunity

Keywords is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace.
Keywords Studios is strongly committed to protecting your personal information. By sending your CV/Resume, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and consent to your data being managed and retained in accordance with our data privacy and retention policy https://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/applicant-privacy-notice/.