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Lead Animation Programmer - Engineering - Dark Horror
10 months ago
Why Firesprite?
Founded in 2012 by a group of creative and management veterans with years of industry experience, Firesprite is a visionary game development studio based in the heart of Liverpool’s vibrant game development hub with over 200 team members.
Creating a number of showcase games for PlayStation console and peripheral launches over the years, Firesprite’s core focus is developing innovative and memorable experiences for players on cutting edge gaming hardware. At Firesprite, the end player experience always comes first and the team is passionate about how to best combine the disciplines of design, art and code to deliver games that surprise and delight.
A visionary game development studio founded in 2012, Firesprite builds innovative showcase titles for PlayStation platforms as part of the PlayStation Studios family.
We’re looking for a Lead Animation Programmer to join us on a dark, narrative adventure game with genre-defining goals – and the freedom to work from anywhere in the UK, including our Liverpool studio. This highly ambitious project will take atmosphere, storytelling and player agency into ground-breaking new territory on next-generation hardware.
As a Lead Animation Programmer, you will be responsible for a team of highly skilled engineers, developing the technologies needed for compelling character and facial animation, and ensuring best-in-class performance on our target hardware. You will work closely with our other code leads and animators, drawing upon your knowledge and experience to solve challenges across a range of topics and share best-practices with the team.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead a team of programmers, prioritizing their needs and equipping them with the skills needed for ongoing career success.
- Contribute to a friendly, inclusive environment where people feel valued and empowered to deliver their best work.
- Provide the technologies needed for highly realistic character locomotion and facial animation.
- Evaluate and choose between approaches to fit within performance budgets.
- Work closely with stakeholders from Gameplay, Animation, Design and Production.
- Maintaining a backlog of work ensuring timeliness within the overall project roadmap.
- Review and provide feedback on your teammates’ code.
Requirements:
- A high level of proficiency with C++.
- Excellent API design and software engineering skills.
- Familiarity with the current state of the art in real-time character animation.
- A passion for knowledge sharing and team development.
- The ability to plan, maintain and prioritize a backlog of work.
- Strong 3D vector maths.
- Experience in a similar role, ideally with at least one shipped title as a senior, principal or lead.
Additional Desirable Skills:
- Familiarity with C++ 17 or later.
- Experience with console development.
- Experience with techniques such as motion matching or preplanned locomotion.
- Experience with real-time facial animation.
- Familiarity with the animation capabilities of Unreal Engine 5.
Firesprite is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, with a commitment to a culture of inclusion and mutual respect for all employees from every walk of life, reflecting the community we make games for. We welcome and encourage applications from all suitable applicants regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.