Technical Animator - Remote or On Site

About Studio Wildcard

We're Studio Wildcard, developers of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved -- one of the most popular and original video games in recent years. Despite our massive success, we've been able to stay independent, so that we can steer our own future in games and beyond. There's never been a better time for you to join this adventure and help us build ARK Survival Ascended, the next chapter of our original hit franchise! We're expanding and updating many of the ARK community's most beloved features while taking full advantage of the latest tools and technologies.

And now we're searching for an exceptionally talented and passionate Technical Artist who can create high-impact work for the expanding ARK franchise.

Responsibilities

• Create sophisticated IK solutions (foot placement, terrain adaptation) in Unreal Engine Control Rig and Anim Blueprints
• Rig human characters, dinosaurs, and fantasy creatures with precise attention to anatomy, understanding joint placement and muscle deformation
• Design and implement advanced procedural and gameplay-driven animation systems using Animation Blueprints (AnimBPs) in Unreal Engine 5
• Build responsive state machines, blend spaces, pose drivers, animation modifiers, notifies, and layered logic tightly coupled to gameplay and physics
• Develop physics-based animation systems including active ragdoll blending
  
• Leverage Houdini to procedurally modify, generate, or optimize meshes and skeletons (e.g., procedural bone/joint chain creation based on anatomical references, topology adjustments for deformation, procedural merging of skeletons)
  
• Solve complex technical animation challenges while collaborating with modeling, animation, design, and engineering teams
• Perform quality checks, optimization (including LOD behavior), and seamless engine integration
• Create clear technical documentation and help evolve the animation & rigging pipeline
  

Requirements

• 3 years of professional experience as a Technical Animator / Technical Artist in game development, with at least 1 shipped title
• Strong expertise in Unreal Engine Animation Blueprints, procedural animation techniques, IK/FK systems, and real-time character/creature workflows
  
• Practical experience with physics simulation in real-time engines (ragdoll, active physics blending, joint constraints, momentum-based animation)
  
• Ability to quickly adapt to new pipelines, tools, and evolving engine features
• Excellent problem-solving skills and strong communication
• Maya rigging experience

Pluses

• Previous work on creature animation
• Programming experience
  
• Rigging pipelines from Maya → UE5
• Motion capture experience
  
• Familiarity with performance optimization
  
• Houdini experience

If you’re passionate about breathing life into characters and solving technical challenges then this is your opportunity to help define the future of ARK.

Required Application Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter which should include
  • Why you are interested in working for Studio Wildcard
  • What games you are currently playing

About Studio Wildcard

Studio Wildcard was founded in 2014 by industry veterans Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions designed for core gamers. With countless years of combined industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Wildcard's core team continues to grow, with offices in Redmond, WA, and Gainesville, FL including distributed team members across multiple continents.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Wildcard is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws, regulations or ordinances. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to disability during the application or the recruiting process, please let us know.  

Pay Transparency Information
The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position vary based on a variety of factors, which include: (but aren't limited to) skills, competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. Each pay range is only relevant to those residing in WA state and can vary based on geographical location. 

Wildcard Benefits
We pay 100% of all premiums for the employee and discounted rates for dependent premiums. Our coverage includes Medical (5 different plans to choose from), Dental, Vision, Short Term and Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, 401(k) option, 100% covered Parental Leave, PTO, Paid Holidays, Unlimited Sick Time, and FSA/ HSA options

Salary : $50,000 - $70,000