2D Animator (Spine, After Effects)

📍 Location: [Remote]

🌟 Role Overview

We are seeking a highly creative and technically proficient 2D Animator to join our Team. This role is essential for bringing our game assets to life with smooth, high-impact animation and visual effects. The ideal candidate will be an expert in skeletal animation using Spine and proficient in creating dynamic motion graphics and visual effects (VFX) using Adobe After Effects, ensuring all animations enhance gameplay and meet the high-quality standards for our casual and slot titles.

🎯 Key Responsibilities

I. Animation Production & Quality

• Skeletal Animation (Spine): Create high-quality 2D skeletal animations for characters, props, backgrounds, and special game features (e.g., win sequences, reel spins, bonus events) using Esoteric Spine.
• Motion Graphics (After Effects): Design and produce stunning visual effects (VFX), UI/UX animations, logos, screen transitions, and promotional motion graphics using Adobe After Effects.
• Animation Principles: Apply the 12 Principles of Animation (timing, spacing, anticipation, follow-through, etc.) to all work to ensure movements are fluid, weighty, and visually appealing.
• Asset Preparation: Rig and prepare 2D assets (characters and objects) provided by 2D Artists for the animation pipeline in Spine, including mesh creation, bone placement, and weight painting.
• VFX Integration: Design and integrate particle effects, glows, distortion, and screen shake effects to maximize the visual impact of key game moments.

II. Technical Workflow & Optimization

• Game Engine Integration: Prepare, export, and integrate final animation assets (e.g., JSON and image atlases from Spine, exported sequences/spritesheets from After Effects) for use in our game engine (e.g., Unity).
• Optimization: Ensure all animations are technically efficient and optimized for performance across various mobile and desktop platforms, meeting strict memory and frame rate constraints.
• Pipeline Adherence: Follow and contribute to established art pipelines, file naming conventions, and version control processes.
• Troubleshooting: Work with developers to debug and resolve animation-related issues within the game engine.

III. Collaboration & Feedback

• Creative Partnership: Collaborate closely with the Art Director to translate static concepts and gameplay requirements into engaging animated features.
• Receive and Implement Feedback: Proactively seek and effectively implement constructive feedback from the Art Director and other stakeholders, iterating quickly to polish assets.
• Style Consistency: Ensure all animations strictly adhere to the project’s established visual style, quality bar, and technical specifications.

✅ Essential Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional experience as a 2D Animator in the Game Development or iGaming industry.
• Expert proficiency with Spine (Esoteric Software), with a strong portfolio showcasing complex character rigging, mesh deformation, and diverse animation cycles.
• Strong proficiency with Adobe After Effects for creating visual effects, motion graphics, and UI animations.
• Solid foundational knowledge of the 12 Principles of Animation and an exceptional eye for timing, composition, and visual impact.
• Experience with asset preparation and working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop for working with source PSD files.
• Familiarity with the technical requirements and optimization techniques for game-ready assets.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with a proven ability to manage personal deadlines.
• A captivating portfolio/demo reel showcasing relevant game animation work is required.

➕ Desirable Skills (Will be a Strong Plus)

• Experience animating assets specifically for Slot Games/iGaming or high-fidelity Casual Mobile Games.
• Experience with other animation tools like Adobe Animate/Flash.
• Knowledge of Unity or other game engines for testing and asset integration.
• Experience with scripting or expressions within After Effects (e.g., for procedural animation).