About this role
Principle Combat Animator
Role We are looking for a highly experienced Gameplay Animator/ Combat Designer to own the creation, implementation and feel of character combat from Maya through to Unreal Engine 5.6/5.8.
This is a hands-on hybrid role for someone who combines excellent combat animation with strong gameplay design instincts and the technical ability to implement, debug and iterate directly in-engine.
You will be expected to take a combat mechanic from an idea to something that feels great in the player’s hands — creating and modifying animations, implementing them in Unreal, tuning timings and gameplay values, and solving technical problems as required.
Responsibilities
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Work alongside Lead Gameplay Designer and help to realize the project gameplay feel through animation and implementation.
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Design, prototype and iterate player and enemy combat mechanics.
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Create and manipulate high-quality combat animation in Maya and fully implement it in Unreal Engine.
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Own combat feel: responsiveness, weight, impact, timing, anticipation, recovery, readability and player control.
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Build and modify Animation Blueprints, Montages, state logic, blends, notifies, root motion and Motion Warping.
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Tune gameplay values including attack timings, movement, rotation, recovery, interrupts, hit reactions and combo behaviour.
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Rapidly playtest and iterate across animation, Blueprint and gameplay parameters until combat feels right.
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Assist with gameplay cameras for regular combat and special in-game moments such as executions etc.
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Diagnose and solve animation and gameplay implementation problems independently, collaborating with engineers where deeper code changes are required.
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Essential
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Significant professional experience in gameplay animation and combat design on PC or console titles.
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Expert, technical hands-on Unreal Engine experience/implementation and strong Maya character animation skills.
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Proven ability to take animation from Maya through to fully playable implementation.
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Deep understanding of action/melee combat, including attacks, combos, hit reactions, dodges, blocks, parries, targeting and enemy interactions.
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Strong subjective judgement around combat feel, not simply animation quality.
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Technically confident with UE5+ Animation Blueprints, Montages, Blueprints, root motion, Motion Warping, IK and related animation systems.
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Comfortable changing both animation and gameplay values to achieve the desired result.
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Highly self-sufficient, iterative and able to identify and solve technical problems rather than working within strict disciplinary boundaries.
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The ideal candidate sits at the intersection of Gameplay Animator, Combat Designer, and Technical Animator — someone capable of owning combat from concept through to final playable feel.
What We Offer
- Join a friendly, nurturing work environment with the opportunity to build games as part of an extremely talented, ambitious studio.
- Work on market-leading AAA titles and IP with globally reputable studio and publisher partners.
- Be part of a sustainably growing game developer studio as we consciously expand our team and projects on a case-by-case basis.
- Learn within an independent studio across a wide range of projects and opportunities both internal and external.
Apply now