<h2>Senior Systems Designer</h2>
<p>Ready At Dawn is looking for a Senior Systems Designer to join us in creating high profile original titles in VR, ranging from social and competitive multiplayer to character driven action and adventure single-player games. The Senior Systems Designer collaborates with design, engineering, and animation teams to create varied and compelling systems across the full spectrum of our games in development.</p>
<p>An ideal candidate is a self-starting autonomous  problem-solver with strong systems design skills and hands-on experience with creating diverse systems and is excited to play a key role in executing our game’s vision.</p>
<h3>Responsibilities:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Working hand in hand with other developers to take system concepts to shipping quality</li>
<li>Design, implement, and balance diverse gameplay systems</li>
<li>Ability to discuss design concepts at a high level, in formal and impromptu settings. Be able to describe at the low level, in detail, the gameplay systems the player will engage with to ensure a compelling experience</li>
<li>Create and maintain design documents to share ideas, concepts, and design specifications in helpful, clear formats</li>
<li>Take a hands-on approach in realizing robust gameplay systems</li>
<li>Participate in prototyping and testing efforts to prove-out gameplay systems</li>
<li>Ability to sustain game systems in a live environment</li>
<li>Ability to anticipate, prioritize, and organize work to meet objectives</li>
<li>Show a passion for the systems design aspect of videogame development</li>
</ul>
<h3>Requirements:</h3>
<ul>
<li>5+ years as a systems designer with multiple games shipped</li>
<li>Ability to mentor less experienced Systems Designers</li>
<li>Expert knowledge of eclectic gameplay systems</li>
<li>The ability to analyze best practices for gameplay systems based on a specific game</li>
<li>Comfortable working in a live game situation with constant updates and new content</li>
<li>Strong communicator both written and verbal</li>
<li>Can work independently or as part of a team</li>
<li>Strong problem solving skills</li>
<li>Working knowledge of industry scripting tools</li>
</ul>

<h2>Senior Tools Programmer</h2>
<p>Ready At Dawn is looking for a Senior Tools Programmer to join us in creating high profile original titles in VR, ranging from social and competitive multiplayer to character driven action and adventure single-player games.</p>
<p>The Senior Tools Programmer collaborates with design, engineering, and animation teams to create and develop software tools, applications and systems to assist in game development. An ideal candidate demonstrates strong problem solving skills, a familiarity with the workflow and challenges across a broad range of disciplines in game development, as well as a proficiency in developing various tools and scripts for content creation and management.</p>
<h3>Responsibilities:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Maintain and extend tools for asset management</li>
<li>Improve content pipelines, focus on reducing iteration time and maximizing visual polish</li>
<li>Research and implement artist tools for use in Maya</li>
<li>Prototype and pitch creative and engine-efficient content solutions for complex visual problems</li>
<li>Work closely with artists, designers, and engine/gameplay programmers to develop easy to use technologies and prioritize feature roll-out</li>
<li>Debug pipeline issues as needed and propose solutions to solve them cleanly</li>
<li>Maximize the team’s production efficiency through various pipeline and tools improvement.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Position Requirements:</h3>
<ul>
<li> 5+ years as a Tools Programmer with multiple games shipped</li>
<li>Excellent python programming skills</li>
<li>Knowledge of C/C++</li>
<li>Strong balance of technical, aesthetic, problem solving, and communication skills</li>
<li>Strong understanding of general artistic aesthetics</li>
<li>Excellent verbal and written communication skills</li>
<li>Ability to filter diverse feedback from artists, designers, and programmers and propose effective solutions</li>
<li>Passion for and broad knowledge of games and game development, with an ability to critically analyze</li>
</ul>
<h3>Additional Skills (pluses):</h3>
<ul>
<li>Experience in authoring a wide array of tools (animation, environment construction, modeling, fx, etc)</li>
<li>Any additional programming skills are welcomed</li>
<li>Understanding of motion capture pipelines and workflows involved</li>
</ul>
<p>Please send samples of your work with your application.</p>



      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games are seeking a Technical Animator to join our Forza Horizon team who will help realise our games vision and work alongside award-winning technical and creative talent. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of rigging and deformation, while contributing to the development our internal animation pipeline.</h2><p>As a Technical Animator, you’ll work with the animation and engineering teams to devise solutions and workflows, creating rigs for animators and high-fidelity deformation for assets. Your analytical ability and planning skills will help the studio develop tools for the future to support character and animation production.</p><h3>SKILL SUMMARY:</h3><ul><li>A good eye for anatomy and silhouette</li><li>Strong knowledge and experience of rigging methods and deformation in Maya and/or 3DS Max</li><li>Motivated, creative and able to utilise own initiative to implement solutions and improvements to internal processes</li><li>A strong portfolio demonstrating your animation rigs and rigging tool development for games</li><li>Ability to code with Python and/or Maxscript</li><li>Experience creating state machines and an understanding of runtime IK solutions</li></ul><p>This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the world’s most exciting games studios, using cutting edge technology to create world class games within an established, highly talented and collaborative team.</p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Oliver</h2>
          <blockquote>“I work on an awesome game, with a great team. What more could you want!”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games are seeking a Senior Technical Animator to join our Fable team who will help realise our games vision and work alongside award-winning technical and creative talent. </h2>The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of rigging and animation systems and will play a key role in developing our internal animation pipeline.<br /><br /> As a Senior Technical Animation specialist, you’ll work with the animation and engineering teams to devise animation solutions and pipelines, create rigs for animators and assist in developing our animation workflows. Your strong analytical ability and planning skills will help the studio develop rigging/animation pipelines and tools for the future to support of character and animation production.<h3>Skill summary:</h3><ul><li>Strong knowledge and experience of rigging and deformation in Maya</li><li>Ability to code with Python (plugin development with C++ would be a distinct advantage)</li><li>Experience creating animation networks and handling runtime IK solutions</li><li>Experience with motion capture pipelines and Motionbuilder</li><li>Motivated, creative and able to utilise own initiative to implement solutions and improvements to internal processes</li><li>An outstanding portfolio demonstrating your animation rigs and rigging tool development for AAA titles</li></ul>This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the world’s most exciting games studios, using cutting edge technology to create world class games within an established, highly talented and collaborative team.        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Oliver</h2>
          <blockquote>“I work on an awesome game, with a great team. What more could you want!”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h2>We’re looking for a talented and passionate Senior UI Artist to help create a world-class interface for the Fable team, working on our open-world action RPG.</h2><p>As an important member of the art team, you’ll work closely with our creative leadership to help build a brand-new AAA interface and to fundamentally shape the overall visual identity of our final product. From day-to-day, you’ll be involved in everything from planning and prototyping features to the concept and implementation of in-game assets. You’ll participate in regular show-and-tell sessions where you’ll pitch and present ideas to the team and collaborate to build an exceptional UI experience for our players.</p><p>The ideal candidate is an expert graphic designer with an obvious passion for UI and games development. You should be a champion for your discipline and thrive in a highly collaborative environment where all opinions matter. You should be comfortable providing and seeking out feedback from your peers on a regular basis and always be striving to learn and hone your craft, regardless of your level. You’re a driven and ambitious self-starter that’s a great team player, able to easily switch gears based on the requirements of the project.</p><p>This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to join a growing new team of industry veterans and make your mark on something special right from start. If this all sounds awesome to you, don’t hesitate to get in touch!</p><h3>Skill Summary:</h3><ul><li>A proven track-record in developing exceptional UI experiences  from start to finish.</li><li>Strong foundational graphic design skills (colour theory, composition, typography etc).</li><li>A passion for great UX design and accessibility in games.</li><li>Excellent communication skills.</li><li>A willingness to pick-up and learn our in-house tech and tools.</li><li>An obsessive eye for detail.</li><li>A strong passion for both playing and developing games.</li><li>A good working knowledge of 2D animation and motion design.</li><li>The ability to relocate and work full-time on site here at Playground Games.</li><li>An up-to-date CV and portfolio.</li><li>The willingness to complete a test if required.</li></ul><h3>Desirable:</h3><ul><li>Traditional illustration skills.</li><li>Experience in mentoring and fostering creativity in other growing artists.</li><li>Great interpersonal skills.</li></ul><p>This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the world’s most exciting games studios, using leading technology to create world class games with an established, highly talented and collaborative team.</p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Oliver</h2>
          <blockquote>“I work on an awesome game, with a great team. What more could you want!”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games is seeking a Senior Gameplay Animator who will be responsible for creating a diverse variety of animations needed to realise the vision for Fable, our open world action RPG.</h2><p>You’ll be working with characters, creatures and props and as such we require a motivated professional with a strong eye for detail, a fundamental understanding of game development processes and a passion for video games that matches our own.</p><p>Your expertise in the creation of animation will cover a broad range of key areas, including facial, motion capture and keyframe and your developed eye will aid in the breakdown and design of animation focused mechanics. You’re required to be a creative animator and a problem solver, with good knowledge of the technical aspects of your craft, including practical experience with current 3D software such as Maya, 3DsMax and Motionbuilder. As an animator at Playground you’ll also have the opportunity to collaborate with the team on improving the animation and art pipelines.</p><h3><strong>Skills Summary:</strong></h3><ul><li>A strong body of work demonstrating solid understanding of body mechanics and animation fundamentals.</li><li>Proficiency in both key-frame and motion capture workflows</li><li>Motivated and driven to produce and achieve work of the highest quality</li><li>Experience and understanding of implementation for core gameplay systems and mechanics</li><li>Proficiency in both Maya and Motionbuilder</li></ul><h3>Preferred Experience</h3><ul><li>Industry experience in a similar role</li><li>Experience with performance capture pipelines a plus</li><li>Good understanding of cinematography and scene staging</li><li>Interactive storytelling</li><li>AAA experience</li><li>Passionate about video games</li></ul><p>This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the world’s most exciting games studios, using cutting edge technology to create world class games, within an established, highly talented and collaborative team.</p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Simon</h2>
          <blockquote>“I feel very lucky to work at PG! I get to work with a world-class team of developers on AAA projects. I am constantly learning new skills and I get to express my creativity every day. I love that at PG, everybody really wants to make the best game that they can!”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h3>Playground Games is seeking a Senior Character Artist who will be responsible for creating a diverse variety of characters, realising the vision for our open world action RPG project, Fable.</h3><p>You’ll of course be familiar with industry standard software packages such as 3DSMax or Maya, as well as having extensive experience with Mudbox or ZBrush. Your knowledge of human anatomy will be well developed and you’ll have a good level of understanding on best practices to suit animation needs and engine requirements.</p><p>As Senior Character Artist you’ll also have experience in the technical aspects of your craft, including materials, asset optimisation and the creation of meshes with clean and functional topology, as well as being comfortable communicating with technical departments.</p><h3>Skills Summary:</h3><p>· Portfolio demonstrating real time character art work to very high standard</p><p>· Strong understanding and demonstration of human anatomy and proportions</p><p>· Established character production workflows such as creating clean deformable topology, efficient UV mapping and baking, texturing, and cloth creation techniques</p><p>· A good understanding of technical considerations for character creation, with the ability to communicate with technical team members</p><p>· A self-motivated team player, with good communication skills</p><p>· Ideally experience on shipped AAA game projects</p><h3>Desirable Skills:</h3><p>· Traditional art foundation</p><p>· Passion for playing games</p><p>· Experience with cloth simulation setup</p><p>· Experience with blendshape creation workflows</p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Simon</h2>
          <blockquote>“I feel very lucky to work at PG! I get to work with a world-class team of developers on AAA projects. I am constantly learning new skills and I get to express my creativity every day. I love that at PG, everybody really wants to make the best game that they can!”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games is looking for a Senior Character Artist to join our Forza team on a permanent basis.<br /></h2><h3>About us:</h3><p>As a first-party Xbox Game Studio, we are passionate about making genre-defining games that are accessible, beautiful, and, most of all, fun. We are expanding our diverse team to create the best racing game ever!<br /></p><h3>Summary:</h3>You’ll of course be familiar with industry standard software packages such as 3DSMax or Maya, as well as having extensive experience with Mudbox or ZBrush. Your knowledge of human anatomy will be well developed and you’ll have a good level of understanding on best practices to suit animation needs and engine requirements.<br /><br />As a Senior<i> </i>Character Artist you’ll also have experience in the technical aspects of your craft, including materials, asset optimisation and the creation of meshes with clean and functional topology, as well as being comfortable communicating with technical departments.<h3>What you will bring:</h3><ul><li>Portfolio demonstrating real time character art work to very high standard</li><li>Strong understanding and demonstration of human anatomy and proportions</li><li>Established character production workflows such as creating clean deformable topology, efficient UV mapping and baking, texturing, and cloth creation techniques</li><li>A good understanding of technical considerations for character creation, with the ability to communicate with technical team members</li><li>A self-motivated team player, with good communication skills</li><li>Ideally experience on shipped AAA game projects</li><li>Experience with cloth simulation setup</li></ul><p>This is a fantastic opportunity to make world-class games with an established, talented, and collaborative team at one of the industry’s most exciting first-party game studios.</p><p>Playground Games is an equal opportunities studio and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. </p><p></p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Oliver</h2>
          <blockquote>“I work on an awesome game, with a great team. What more could you want!”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games is seeking a Senior Cinematic Animator who will be responsible for creating story-driven animation needed to realise the vision for Fable, our open world action RPG. </h2><p>Your animation expertise will cover a broad range of key areas, including facial, motion capture, and keyframe. You’re required to be a creative animator, with good knowledge of the technical aspects of your craft. As an animator at Playground you’ll also have the opportunity to collaborate with the team on improving the animation and art pipelines. </p><h3>RESPONSIBILITIES: </h3><ul><li>Blocking out animations and cameras </li><li>Quickly iterating on pre-vis </li><li>Collaborating with the Lead, Director, and cinematic team to discover the best performance </li><li>Implementing cinematics into the game engine and testing to make sure they fit within the game </li><li>Polishing motion capture animation and adding to its performance </li><li>Creating content for cutscenes, in-game cinematics, and bespoke animations </li><li>Tracking time and tasks, and frequently showing progress to the team </li><li>Updating documentation </li></ul><h3>SKILLS SUMMARY: </h3><ul><li>Understanding of visual storytelling </li><li>Can convey emotion through realistic performance </li><li>Clear written and verbal communication skills </li><li>Proficient in Maya and MotionBuilder </li><li>Proficient in both key-frame and motion capture workflows </li><li>Motivated and driven to produce and achieve work of the highest quality </li></ul><h3>PREFERRED EXPERIENCE </h3><ul><li>5+ years animation experience </li><li>Experience with performance capture pipelines a plus </li><li>AAA experience </li><li>Passionate about video games </li><li>Previous experience in film or pre-vis a plus </li><li>Experience with game engines </li></ul><p>This is an exceptional opportunity to join a highly experienced and collaborative team, within one of the world’s most exciting games studios.</p>        Apply Now
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      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games is looking for a Senior Animation Engineer to join the Fable team.<br /></h2><p>Your skills and passion for animation will enable you to work closely with the animation team to create world leading visuals for a cutting edge AAA title.  Your experience designing and implementing animation systems for AAA projects will make you a key part of a world-class programming team.</p><h3><b>SKILLS SUMMARY:</b></h3><ul><li>Strong C++ and software architecture skills</li><li>Experience of working on animation systems for published titles</li><li>Detailed knowledge of animation systems, techniques and performance on console</li><li>Excellent communication skills</li><li>A passion for games</li><li>Ideally experience on AAA</li></ul><p>This is an exceptional opportunity to join a team and project at an early stage, giving you the rare chance to shape the future of an exciting, large-scale AAA title from the outset. It will provide exciting new challenges for any experienced developer looking to further their career and create world class games.</p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Gavin</h2>
          <blockquote>“The Playground engineering team is full of friendly, passionate people solving interesting problems, and also provides a great environment for professional growth.”</blockquote>
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      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games is looking for a Principal Animation Engineer to join the Fable team.<br /></h2><p>As a Principal Animation Engineer you will help set the technical direction of our animation technology. You will work with other disciplines to identify, plan and implement industry leading animation systems.</p><p>You are driven by a passion for software engineering, as well as striving to discover and develop genre leading animation features. You'll work closely with internal and external stakeholders, so your ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively is vital. You are highly motivated and approachable, with a strong desire to push the boundaries of technology.</p><h3><b>SKILLS SUMMARY:</b></h3><ul><li>Games industry leading knowledge of animation systems</li><li>A proven track record of successful planning and delivery of highly technical features</li><li>Excellent written and verbal communication skills</li><li>Expert C++ and software architecture skills</li><li>Ability to work autonomously</li><li>A passion for games</li><li>Ideally experience on AAA</li></ul><p>This is an exceptional opportunity to join a team and project at an early stage, giving you the rare chance to shape the future of an exciting, large-scale AAA title from the outset. It will provide exciting new challenges for any experienced developer looking to further their career and create world class games.</p>        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Gavin</h2>
          <blockquote>“The Playground engineering team is full of friendly, passionate people solving interesting problems, and also provides a great environment for professional growth.”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    



      <div>
        <h2>Playground Games is looking for a Lead Character Artist to join our Fable team who will help realise our games vision and work alongside award-winning technical and creative talent. </h2><p>As Lead Character Artist you’ll oversee the Character Art team, working in conjunction with the Art Director and Art Manager to plan work for the team and ensure our high-quality bar is realized. You will also have experience in the technical aspects of your craft, including materials, asset optimisation and the creation of meshes with clean and functional topology, as well as being comfortable communicating with technical departments. </p><h3>Responsibilities</h3><ul><li>Lead, motivate and inspire your team and to maintain and push the visual quality while delivering within the production needs.</li><li>Management of the character team, including holding regular check-ups, setting objectives, looking after the wellbeing of the team, and providing the support that might be needed in their daily work.</li><li>A point of contact for your team and drive the visual &amp; push the quality in conjunction with other lead artists and Art director.</li></ul><h3><b>SKILLS SUMMARY:</b><b> </b></h3><ul><li>Multiple shipped titles, Ideally in AAA,</li><li>Experience with previous titles, seeing production from initial phase to delivery</li><li>Strong interest in self-development of managerial skills, overseeing the work of other team members and mentoring and developing them. </li><li>Understand the importance of communication and collaborative problem-solving skills. Representing the team and being their voice in discussions across the project.</li><li>Work together with Producer and Art manager to develop a strategy, coordinate character art resources, schedules and priorities based on project needs.</li><li>A strong understanding of technical aspects for character creation together with a proactive drive for efficiency in work methods &amp; the maintenance of high standards</li></ul><ul><li>Good understanding of current generation production workflows in relation to character art production. </li><li>Strong knowledge and understanding of human anatomy, proportions, mechanics, characterisation &amp; archetypes</li><li>Examples of current and past work demonstrating a strong understanding of form, silhouette, shape, texture, colour and lighting.</li><li>Able to provide clear and consistent feedback and critique based on art direction and any technical considerations.</li><li>Strong understanding of creating meshes with clean topology for deformation to support and collaborate with animation and tech animation. </li><li>Solid understanding of clothing creation software such as Marvellous Designer. </li><li>Good knowledge of texture creation packages such as Substance Designer and Substance Painter. </li><li>Strong knowledge of latest versions of Zbrush or Mudbox.</li><li>Keen interest in games and game design beyond art.</li></ul>This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the world’s most exciting games studios, using cutting edge technology to create world class games, within a strong collaborative team.        Apply Now
      </div>

      
        <div>
          
          <h3>A message from</h3>
          <h2>Pav</h2>
          <blockquote>“It’s super inspiring to work in a place with such talented people.”</blockquote>
        </div>

      
    

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