Art: Senior Technical Animator OR Animation Engineer

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Technical Animator or Animation Engineer to join our team. The candidate should be highly technical, have scripting and coding knowledge and be proficient with Unreal Blueprint.  This individual will work closely with the Animation, Tech Art and Engineering teams to implement animation solutions that meet technical and artistic requirements. The ideal candidate should be ready to jump into Unreal Engine from day one and have a strong animation background to intimately understand the processes, workflows and pipelines involved.

This is a remote position on a fully remote team.

Responsibilities

  • Develop tools, scripts and systems to get all of our characters and creatures moving in fun, believable ways.
  • Work closely with our animation, art and engineering teams to develop animation workflows and best practices.
  • Proactively identify and solve technical challenges impacting animation within the game.
  • Monitor game performance from the animation perspective and provide optimization recommendations and direct support. 

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in an animation field in the gaming industry, with at least two shipped titles.
  • C++ familiarity and experience with scripting languages like Blueprint, Lua, Python, etc.
  • Highly experienced in Unreal Engine, preferably Unreal Engine 5.
  • Demonstrable experience in animation systems, like advanced rigging techniques, animation blueprinting, control rigs, complex cinematics, etc.
  • Exceptional problem-solving capabilities paired with a keen eye for detail.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to independently initiate, manage, and execute tasks with high precision.
  • Passionate about contributing creatively to the development of our games across multiple disciplines.

Preferences

  • Comprehensive experience with multi-platform development on console platforms.
  • Familiarity with DCCs like Maya, Blender and Houdini.
  • Proven track record with stylized character and creature animation, emphasizing a distinct and memorable aesthetic.
  • Ability to thrive in a fully remote environment, balancing autonomy with collaboration.
  • Prior exposure to other art subdisciplines, such as concepting, environment art, or VFX, is a significant asset.

We make games that are accessible and engaging for players all over the world.  We believe in hiring and supporting the most talented and creative people of diverse backgrounds.  That support includes annual professional development and home office stipends, as well as paid time off for volunteer/non-profit work.  Join us and be a part of our growing and innovative studio. 

Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Design: Senior Systems Designer

Unknown Worlds is seeking an experienced Senior Systems Designer to work on the next game in the Subnautica series. Our ideal candidate is a passionate game player and game creator. They are self directed, motivated and enjoy working with multidisciplinary highly collaborative teams.

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with design lead and feature teams to create and maintain core game systems. 
  • Establish and maintain design documentation for systems across the project. 
  • Shepherd and guide designs from paper to shipping.
  • Manage overall game balance and in-game economies.
  • Work across feature teams to ensure best design practices are being followed.

Qualifications

  • Experience designing systems in a cross discipline development team.
  • Extensive with game design principles, game balance, pacing and player motivations.  
  • Experience shipping at least 2 game titles in a design focused role.
  • Excellent situational awareness and judgment, and the ability to demonstrate both qualities in high pressure situations.
  • Selfmanager, capable of taking high level ideas and executing on them with limited guidance.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication. 
  • Experience with project management software such as JIRA, Favro, Notion, and/or others.
  • Deep understanding of the foundational elements of the survival game genre, with extensive knowledge of the Subnautica franchise.

Preferences

  • Experience working on open world games in the survival-craft genre.
  • Experience with Unreal Engine 5.
  • Experience with open development or Early Access models engaging with large and active communities. 
  • Scripting experience (in code, proprietary tools, or visual scripting languages)
  • Experience working in an environment that stretches the designer outside their bounds, including experience with level, gameplay, or UX/UI design.

We make games that are accessible and engaging for players all over the world.  We believe in hiring and supporting the most talented and creative people of diverse backgrounds.  That support includes annual professional development and home office stipends, as well as paid time off for volunteer/non-profit work.  Join us and be a part of our growing and innovative studio. 

Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Technical Director

Unknown Worlds is seeking an accomplished Technical Director to play a pivotal role in shaping the technical direction of our projects. The Technical Director is a studio level role responsible for the overall quality of our technology strategy, our software, and the health of our engineering teams.  They focus on ensuring our teams have access to the resources and tools needed to create the most amazing player experiences imaginable. 
 
This is a remote position on a fully remote team.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and manage high level technical strategy for the studio.  Work with teams on determining engine choice, tools, middleware, and centralized technology across our games. 
  • Research and demonstrate emerging technologies and their potential applications to our ongoing and future development projects. 
  • Provide project support and mentorship for engineering leads.
  • Work with teams to identify and resolve challenging technical questions and problems.  Assist teams with managing technical risk.
  • Assist with project staffing and hiring for technical resources.
  • Provide support for externally developed projects.  Assist with vetting external partners and offering technical guidance.
  • Work to ensure the engineering department develops a healthy work / life balance.

Qualifications

  • Proven experience as a Technical Director or in a similar engineering related leadership role. 
  • Strong background in game development with expertise in multiple areas such as graphics, networking, AI, or gameplay programming.
  • Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to articulate and drive technical vision across teams.
  • Experience in recruiting and managing a diverse department of engineers.
  • Deep knowledge of current industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices.
  • Experience shipping multiple titles across various platforms (PC, Console, Mobile, VR). 

Preferences

  • Experience with online or live service games.
  • Experience developing on Unreal engine.
  • Experience working on open world games. 

We make games that are accessible and engaging for players all over the world.  We believe in hiring and supporting the most talented and creative people of diverse backgrounds.  That support includes annual professional development and home office stipends, as well as paid time off for volunteer/non-profit work.  Join us and be a part of our growing and innovative studio. 

Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Who We Are

Unknown Worlds is a creatively driven, fully remote, globally distributed studio committed to bringing players new types of game experiences.   We helped pioneer the early access development model and continue to develop openly with our fans and community. Since our inception in 2001 we have created the hybrid FPS/RTS Natural Selection franchise, the underwater survival hit Subnautica (6.5M+ copies sold), and our most recent release in the Subnautica universe – Subnautica: Below Zero

How We Work

As a fully remote studio we support a self-directed, self-managed approach to our work.  We rely on real time communication tools like Slack and video chat to stay connected.  We have regular team wide retreats in beautiful locations all over the world to regroup, plan, hang out and recharge.  Our teams work together to set high level goals and each person determines how they can best contribute to achieving the objective.

Who you are

Our ideal candidate is passionate, self-motivated, versatile and eager to grow.  We are looking for developers who are excited to be involved in their projects and take personal ownership in their work.  At Unknown Worlds everyone is encouraged to collaborate on all aspects of the games we’re creating.  All our team members have a strong passion for their craft, and love making games.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Unknown Worlds, we pride ourselves on being a globally based and represented team. As such, we are committed to diversity as one of our core values. However, we also have the responsibility to ensure that our values translate into concrete actions: what games we make, how we make them, and how we hire our people. We pledge to carry out this effort in earnest, with an open mind and with the intention to improve this industry for everyone. We’re dedicated to working towards that goal in many ways, and improve some things we’re already doing. We believe this is long overdue, and will ultimately broaden the perspective and creativity of our games. We understand that this means on-going commitment, education, discussion, and outside advice where necessary.

Our Commitments

The following commitments are not comprehensive (our aim is progress, not perfection!), but represent what we intend to develop, improve, and build on over time.

  • We are committed to making games that speak to a diverse audience and promote shared experiences across differences in age, race, gender, sexuality, and mental or physical ability.
  • We will continue to commit a portion of Unknown Worlds’ yearly profits to charitable organizations.
  • We will continue to reserve time each year for full-time team members to volunteer-work of their choosing.
  • We are committed to supporting policies and organizations that build equity for marginalized groups.
  • We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where we combat perfectionism with a culture of appreciation, understand the connection between defensiveness and fear, and value teamwork over individualism.
  • We will continue to provide an annual education budget for full-time team members for their continued development.
  • We are committed to looking at our team’s diversity at all levels, including ways in which we can make the hiring and game development processes more inclusive.
  • We are committed to reviewing our business network to include partners from diverse backgrounds.

Organizations We Support

We have always felt strongly about giving back to communities and causes that reflect our values, and every year our team works together to choose them. Below are some of the organizations we currently support, either through donations, sponsorship, volunteering, or partnership.

  • Action Against Hunger. This donation was made possible thanks to all of the incredible members of the Subnautica community who participated in the ‘Go Play Inside’ bundle back in April 2020. The funds will be put towards expanding water, sanitation, hygiene, and health programs in hard-to-reach areas and vulnerable communities, who have been deeply affected by the pandemic.
  • San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. With an office based in San Francisco, we wanted to give back to our local community, for those facing food scarcity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. As the premier legal organization in America fighting for racial justice, through litigation, advocacy, and public education, we wanted to contribute to help the LDF continue to seek structural changes and work towards their goal of equality for all Americans.
  • Game Devs of Color Expo as a Collaborating Sponsor. The Game Devs of Color Expo is a space to enlighten and unite people of all genders, races, abilities, sexual orientations and religions.The 2020 Expo was fully virtual, due to the pandemic, and seeked to help new and experienced game developers share, learn and connect in unique ways.
  • National Center for Transgender Equality. Working at the local, state, and federal levels to change laws, policies and society, the NCTE seeks to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice for transgender people.