Animation Programmer

Avalanche Studios Group and its creative division Avalanche Studios is looking for an Animation Programmer to join the largest and greatest AAA project we’ve ever taken on. On this project we want to push animation quality a lot further than we have done previously and this will require us to take our animation technology to the bleeding edge. Sounds like fun to you? Do you feel you have the skills for this? Then we would love to hear from you!


The Position
As an Animation Programmer you will develop and maintain both tools and runtime systems required to realize the vision for animation on the project. You should be able to understand the pros and cons with different approaches and be able to come up with new creative solutions to efficiently be able to achieve the desired quality.


The position also includes architecting the interfaces between the animation system and e.g. AI. Use and extend existing systems when possible build new tools and features when needed. Assist animators in translating game design into technical animation design, help and educate game programmers working with animation related features and aid technical animators in implementing animations into the game. You will join our engineers in developing and maintaining our proprietary Apex Engine.


It is expected that you see your responsibility as delivering a successful end-user experience, together with your team-mates, rather than just handing off technological solutions to content creators. Much of the success of well executed game characters is down to how successfully they are integrated with all of the systems within the game engine, e.g. physics, animation, UI, SFX, VFX, dialog, etc. Previous experience and proven ability to work with multiple systems and stakeholders is a definite advantage. Finally, as with any other programming role, you will have to be able to balance functional requirements with technical requirements in the areas of performance, stability, memory usage, interoperability.


Required Qualifications:
Excellent communications skills
Solid knowledge of game animation systems e.g. layering, masking, state machines, locomotion, facial animations, blending, and parameterization
Experience working with IK, ragdolls and / or other procedural techniques
Fluent in linear algebra
Able to write readable, robust and performant code in C/C++
A keen eye for animation



Desired Qualifications:
Experience in networking animated characters
Experience with motion synthesis/generation
Experience with machine learning for animation
Experience working with game physics
Experience of profiling and optimization



We will only consider applications that consist of both a cover letter and a CV. In your cover letter you should include why you want to work at Avalanche Studios. For this role you need to be able to work full-time in our Stockholm office. To apply for this position please register below. Apply as soon as possible as we review applications continuously. All further information is provided under non-disclosure agreement only.


Our Values
At Avalanche Studios, we believe in worlds without limits, and we are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. Being part of our world is not contingent on where you’re from, your gender, or sexual orientation. It’s all about your passion, courage and craftsmanship.


Stockholm Studio
Our state of the art studio is located in the beautiful area of Södermalm, in the center of Stockholm and the Game industry Hub. Our studio is a beautiful place inspired by our catalog of games. We hope you’ll come to think of this place as your home turf and creative foundation.


Avalanche Studios
Avalanche Studios is the original creator of the award-winning Just Cause franchise (published by Square Enix) and the developer of Mad Max (published by Warner Bros. Interactive) and Rage 2 (published by Bethesda Softworks). As a publisher, Avalanche Studios has released theHunter: Call of the Wild, Generation Zero and the free-to-play service theHunter Classic which has reached more than 8 million players across 190 countries. Avalanche Studios was founded in 2003 and is based in Stockholm, New York City and Malmö. The studio develops games using its proprietary Apex technology, enabling huge open worlds filled with emergent gameplay. Learn more at www.avalanchestudios.com.