Who We Are
At 2K, we create some of the most iconic and culture-shaping video games in entertainment, including NBA® 2K, one of the top-selling franchises in the world, and legendary titles like BioShock®, Borderlands®, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®, and XCOM®, as well as fan favorites WWE® 2K, TopSpin®, and PGA TOUR® 2K. We build unforgettable experiences by pushing the boundaries of creativity, authenticity and innovation across every genre.
Our portfolio is brought to life by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber, Gearbox, HB Studios, and 2K SportsLab create world-class experiences across platforms.
But what truly powers 2K is our people.
We believe the best ideas come from teams that feel empowered, supported, and inspired. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace where people are encouraged to come as they are and do their best work.
At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role. If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!
What We Need
The Shared Development Studios Animation Department is looking for a Senior Expert Animator to lead high level animation projects across our portfolio in Dublin. Reporting to the Animation Director, this role ensures all work aligns with the animation department's overarching goals. This role provides technical guidance to upskill the department and drives research into new workflows like animation AI. This position shapes the future of animation excellence at 2K by connecting creative vision with technical execution.
What You’ll Do
- Lead initiatives that raise the quality of game development and set the visual bar for the project.
- Partner with the Animation Director to ensure all technical and artistic output supports departmental goals.
- Set rigging and engine standards that the full department builds upon to eliminate redundant work across the portfolio.
- Establish artistic quality standards and visual style benchmarks to ensure stylistic consistency across the team.
- Drive technically challenging animation work by adapting techniques from various tools and pipelines.
- Develop innovative solutions for complex technical or production hurdles to ensure project success.
- Mentor the team through craft-based feedback and coaching focused on elevating artistic and performance quality.
What Will Make You A Great Fit
- a deep level of industry experience as an expert animator with multiple shipped AAA titles.
- Brings deep knowledge of 3D animation and evolving technologies to improve production pipelines.
- Expertise in animation systems and implementation within Unreal and Unity engines.
- Collaborates with production and creative teams to align on overarching technical requirements.
- Develops gameplay animations and integrates them directly into game engines
- Assesses animation techniques to ensure workflows do not create friction for downstream departments.
- Identifies and fixes complex bugs or glitches that obstruct the animation pipeline.
Nice to Have
- Expertise with various stylizations such as mocap and keyframe
- Experience with specialized performance capture and large-scale shoot direction
- Familiarity with machine learning workflows for character performance or motion
- Knowledge of camera setups and cinematic framing
As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.
Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.
Skills Required
- Multiple shipped AAA titles (industry experience as an expert animator)
- Deep knowledge of 3D animation and evolving production technologies
- Expertise in animation systems and implementation within Unreal and Unity engines
- Set rigging and engine standards and build departmental pipelines
- Develop gameplay animations and integrate them directly into game engines
- Mentor team with craft-based feedback and coaching
- Identify and fix complex bugs or glitches in the animation pipeline
- Expertise with mocap and keyframe stylizations
- Experience with specialized performance capture and large-scale shoot direction
- Familiarity with machine learning workflows for character performance or motion
- Knowledge of camera setups and cinematic framing
2K Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) plan and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan are part of the standard package as presented on the careers site. Employer-verified listings also confirm these retirement programs.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid parental leave, generous compassionate leave, and a companywide end‑of‑year break are highlighted alongside paid holidays and PTO. These offerings indicate broad coverage for time away from work.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Fitness reimbursements, on‑site/virtual classes, stocked kitchens, free or subsidized meals, commuter benefits, and dog‑friendly offices are widely cited, with some studios calling out mental‑wellness support like Headspace. These perks extend support beyond core insurance into day‑to‑day wellbeing.
2K Insights
What We Do
2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, 31st Union, and HB Studios. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment. Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of our growing library of critically-acclaimed franchises such as NBA 2K, 2K PGA, Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, The Quarry, The Darkness, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, WWE 2K, and XCOM. At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We encourage ALL applicants to explore our global positions, even if they don’t meet every requirement for the role. If you're interested in the job and think you have what it takes to work at 2K, we encourage you to apply!
Why Work With Us
We pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We push ourselves creatively to do the best work of our careers. We’re direct, open, and you’ll probably meet some new best friends – along with their dogs – sitting nearby. In short, it’s kinda awesome.
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2K Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We are a blend of onsite, hybrid, and remote roles. Please refer to individual job descriptions for more details on location.
