Principal Animation Artist - Unpublished R&D Product

As a member of the Animation team, you’ll bring characters to life through strong body mechanics and classic animation principles. You’ll create high-quality gameplay animations that showcase weight, anticipation, impact, and polish. A standout reel will demonstrate a range of locomotion cycles, gameplay actions, and a clear mastery of animation fundamentals.

As a Principal Animation Artist, you’ll own all aspects of animation development for core gameplay. You’ll collaborate closely with designers and artists to expand our content pipeline, develop new features and technologies, and ensure animations strike the right balance between readability and AAA-quality presentation. You’ll also be expected to work independently, making style-aligned decisions that push the craft forward and breathe life into iconic characters for players.

• Create animation assets at production level quality
• Work closely with design and create animations that meet the specific gameplay requirements
• Recognize areas of opportunity for animation to enhance gameplay
• Meet project deadlines in a timely manner without compromising artistic integrity
• Consistently communicate with the team by giving and receiving feedback, directing next steps, and providing clear goals and outcomes to the team
• Motivate and develop the team members and act as a mentor in terms of technical/artistic aspects

• 8+ years of professional experience working in animation within the gaming industry
• 5+ years of professional experience working in Maya
• 3+ years of experience working directly and implementing in Unreal Engine 

• Strong sense of game design and gameplay
• Strong pre-vis and storytelling animation skills 

As a part of the application process, you will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of your work.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.