Senior 2D Game Animator (Remote Contract)

Our Mission:

To capture the hearts and minds of millions of players across the world by creating unforgettable games powered by the best technology.

About Us:

PlayQ is a rapidly growing global entertainment and technology company delivering high-quality mobile titles and innovative game development solutions to a worldwide audience. Our games have been downloaded more than 60 million times across the globe, with millions of users playing every day!

Our dedicated teams, based in downtown Santa Monica, CA, work together to craft the clever, visually stunning, and unforgettable experiences that our players love. Our emphasis on individual leadership means each team member has the opportunity to make a big impact, while our commitment to creative freedom gives them the ability to create whatever they can imagine.

It’s this mindset that has led us to develop our own IP, infuse games with rich storytelling, build our own development tools, and solve the deepest technical challenges – all in the name of disrupting the mobile gaming landscape.

Why you’ll want to come to work:

PlayQ is looking for a talented Senior 2D Animator to join our close-knit and collaborative team of artists. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work with an expert level art team bringing cutting edge visuals to our pipeline of new games.

In this role, you’ll be responsible for working directly with our Art and Game Engineering team to implement eye-catching 2D animations for our mobile games! Responsibilities for this role will range from animating props, and in-game items to creating VFX using both 2D assets and particle systems. You’d be an ideal candidate for this role if you have mastered the skill of creating well timed animations that provide a sense of whimsy and fun to our games!

This is an off-site, contract position with competitive hourly pay, based on experience. The position requires 40 hours per week, which includes creating new 2D animations and collaborating with our cross-functional team.

**Please note: As part of our interview process, qualified candidates will be expected to complete an art test.

What you’ll get to create:

• Focus on producing high quality 2D animations using animation principles for gameplay objects and VFX
• Use procedural animations and particle systems within Unity
• Collaborate with game programmers and designers to implement animations in our game engine
• Take ownership. Think like a player and influence the direction of our games
• Produce and execute final quality results based on your own concepts and those of your colleagues
• Involvement in other stages of game art creation including concept art needed for 2D animations

What you’ll bring to the team:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in animation for mobile games
• Proficiency in Unity or similar game engine
• Strong proficiency in Creative Cloud Suite (PS, AI) and Version Control Systems
• A solid understanding of the abilities and limitations of the game engine
• Solid grasp of animation principles and a great sense of timing (in-game, effects, characters, etc.)
• Ability to create still and animated assets for mobile games, following our existing brand designs, and implement them in Unity
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills, teamwork-oriented colleague
• Experience in working together with programmers on finding design and implementation solutions
• Great sense of quality and acute attention to detail
• Strong communication skills with the ability to take and deliver constructive feedback
• Passionate about mobile games and technology
• Strong English communication skills
• Must include a portfolio of work demonstrating your breadth of skill and project contributions

Bonus Points:

• 3D animation experience.
• Technical background in developing scripts, Photoshop actions, and other automation tools necessary for art implementation and optimization.
• Understanding of current mobile games market and art trends.
• Experience creating and working with FX shaders
• Illustration/concepting skills with experience working in puzzle games.

If you gotten this far, we hope you’re feeling excited about this role. Even if you don’t feel you meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We’re eager to meet people who believe in PlayQ’s mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways—not just candidates who check all the boxes.

What we can offer you:

• Remote Work Environment – This position offers the flexibility to work remotely. You’ll closely collaborate with our HQ team based in Santa Monica, CA and our global teammates across the world. Our flexible approach, internal comms, and tech stack promote collaboration, communication, and camaraderie!
• Competitive compensation
• Work remotely with flexible hours
• Collaborate with an exceptionally talented, knowledgable, and supportive team!
• Help build and support awesome GAMES. For a living! Who doesn’t love games?

Interested? Please get in touch!