[Hiring] Senior Animator @Keywords Studios

Role Description

Applicants must be currently residing in Japan and possess valid authorization to work in Japan.

Animation Production

• 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.

Creative Collaboration

• 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.

Technical & Pipeline Responsibilities

• Optimize animation assets for runtime performance and memory constraints.
• Assist with motion capture shoots, cleanup, retargeting, and implementation.
• Contribute to animation systems including blend trees, state machines, IK systems, and procedural animation workflows.
• Maintain organized source files and documentation according to studio standards.
• Stay current with emerging animation techniques, tools, and industry trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Animation, Game Art, Fine Arts, Multimedia, or equivalent industry experience.
• 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.
• High proficiency with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, MotionBuilder, Blender, or equivalent.
• Experience implementing animations in Unreal Engine, Unity, or proprietary engines.
• Understanding of rigging constraints, animation systems, and technical pipelines.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and feedback skills.
• Strong problem-solving and organizational abilities.
• Fluent in Japanese and with a high degree of English language proficiency.

Company Description

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.