Founded by Bad Robot (Lost, Cloverfield, Westworld, Star Wars, Star Trek), we at Bad Robot Games are on a mission to continually reinvent how stories are played.We are a remote-first games company represented by a diverse team, which empowers us to make the kinds of games in which all players can see themselves. Working closely with our colleagues at Bad Robot Productions, our projects unite our extensive network of games, TV, and film industry talent to create original IPs, expansive worlds and tell new stories across all media platforms which are as fun to watch as they are to play.Bad Robot Games is looking for a Principal Gameplay Engineer who has experience with animation engineering and is excited to trailblaze innovative gameplay and demonstrate technical excellence across all aspects of development. Working in a highly collaborative, focused, and iterative team environment, we are looking for a seasoned engineer who can partner with design, art, audio, and production to build best in class animation and gameplay systems.KEY RESPONSIBILITIESArchitect and implement animation and gameplay systems with long-term stability and scalability in mindDesign and own core character animation pipelines including locomotion, combat, and cinematic systems in close collaboration with animators and designersPrototype and iterate rapidly on features, embracing critical feedback and applying it constructivelyAdvocate for quality, stability, performance, and appropriate prioritization across the projectCoordinate efforts across products to encourage code and feature sharingBring technical excellence across multiple features and platforms, optimizing and fixing bugs in existing animation and gameplay systemsCollaborate across disciplines with design, art, audio, and production to problem-solve and generate new ideasProactively identify opportunities and challenges before they become blockersParticipate in playtesting and provide hands-on feedback as the project progressesKEY QUALIFICATIONS10+ years of game development experience with experience in animation engineeringAt least one shipped title on PlayStation and PC, ideally multipleStrong C++ skills with the ability to architect gameplay mechanics, animation systems, and toolsProficiency with multiple tools in Unreal Engine's animation tech stack, including: Anim Blueprints, Animation Montages, Blend Spaces, State Machines, Anim Notifies and Anim Notify States, Linked Anim Graphs, Linked Anim Instances, Mirroring, Inertialization, and Control RigSolid understanding of skeletal mesh rigging, retargeting, and IK within Unreal EngineExperience implementing various animation synchronization methods, including time-warping and sync markersDeep understanding of the difference between the Update and Evaluate phases of an AnimInstanceComfortable with local vs. component space in animation calculations and blends, with an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of eachDeep familiarity with the pipelines, tools, and processes of creating, building, shipping, and supporting live gamesExcellent communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of inspiring teamsA passion for multiplayer online gaming and a rich history of playing across a wide variety of game genresAll of our roles require up to 10% air travel. Examples include Studio/Team Offsites, Team/Studio Events, etc.BONUSESExperience with the Unreal Motion Matching / Pose Search systemProcedural animation experienceExperience with Python to integrate tools within UnrealExperience developing or maintaining custom Anim Modifiers in UnrealKnowledge of or experience with Unreal's Anim NextExperience implementing locomotion systemsHistory with Physics Assets, physical animation profiles, and physical animation more generallyOnline multiplayer game development experienceExperience working on a live service gameStrong math skillsOur ranges are based on California market rate regardless of work location in the US.Find out more about our benefits and team on our careers page!
