Company: Lighthouse Games

Senior Gameplay Animator Job Overview Company: Lighthouse Games Job Title: Senior Gameplay Animator Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent Location: Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom Seniority Level: Senior Required Experience: Extensive Professional Experience in the Video Game Industry Salary Range: £55,000 – £75,000 GBP (Estimated – 2026 UK Senior Benchmarks) Visa Sponsorship: Not Available (Must have existing right to work in the UK) Primary Software: Maya and/or MotionBuilder Studio Overview Lighthouse Games is an ambitious AAA studio based in Royal Leamington Spa, a town renowned as the heart of the UK’s “Silicon Spa” gaming cluster. Our studio is founded on a commitment to redefining gaming experiences through technical innovation, creative bravery, and high-fidelity storytelling. We have assembled a team of industry veterans who are dedicated to creating a best-in-class title designed to resonate with global audiences. At Lighthouse, we foster a culture where every developer is empowered to contribute to the creative vision, ensuring that our final product is as polished as it is innovative. Senior Gameplay Animator – Role Summary We are looking for a highly seasoned Senior Gameplay Animator who possesses the technical depth and artistic maturity to elevate our character performances. As a Senior member of the team, you will not only be responsible for creating high-quality animations but also for setting the standard for realism and fluidity within the game. You will work at the core of the production, ensuring that our storytelling is translated through movement that feels grounded, responsive, and emotionally resonant. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in the space where technical implementation meets artistic nuance. You should be an expert at handling large-scale motion-capture data while possessing the refined eye of a traditional animator. This role is for a professional who enjoys getting “hands-on” with the engine and takes pride in seeing their work move flawlessly within the game environment. Key Responsibilities and Artistic Standards In this senior capacity, your primary responsibility is the design and production of sophisticated animations for both gameplay and cinematic sequences. You will ensure that every movement—from basic locomotion to complex combat or emotional narrative beats—integrates seamlessly into the game environment. You will be expected to lead by example, producing work that adheres to the overall artistic vision while pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the current hardware generation. Collaboration is a fundamental aspect of this role. You will work as a bridge between Game Designers, Artists, and Programmers to ensure that animations satisfy technical gameplay requirements without losing their aesthetic appeal. You will proactively iterate on your work based on feedback from the Animation Lead and Supervisors, refining every transition and pose to ensure optimal player immersion. As a senior, you are also expected to keep a pulse on industry trends, identifying new tools and techniques that could enhance the studio’s overall workflow efficiency. Technical Expertise and Implementation Lighthouse Games values the ability to implement work effectively in-engine. While experience with Unreal Engine is considered an advantage, our primary focus is on your ability to manage the animation pipeline within any major game engine environment. You must demonstrate mastery over motion-capture cleanup, effectively blending captured data with hand-keyed animation to create a finished product that feels both realistic and uniquely stylized to our character’s personality. Your expertise in Maya or MotionBuilder should be second nature, allowing you to focus on the subtleties of character performance. We are looking for an animator who understands the weight, timing, and physics of a bipedal character, but who can also apply those same principles to facial animation—a skill that is highly desirable for this position. Your judgment in applying hand-keyed touches to MoCap data will be essential in creating the “best-in-class” quality our studio aims to deliver. Requirements and Eligibility as Senior Gameplay Animator To be considered for this senior position, you must have an extensive professional background in the video game industry, with a specific portfolio focus on realistic character animation and motion-capture integration. Your showreel should clearly demonstrate a diversity of work, showcasing your ability to handle both high-action gameplay sequences and subtle, nuanced character moments. Exceptional communication skills are a prerequisite, as you will be expected to articulate technical concepts and provide constructive feedback within a fast-paced, team-oriented environment. We are looking for a proactive problem-solver who can anticipate technical hurdles before they arise. Please note that Lighthouse Games is currently unable to offer VISA sponsorship for this role; therefore, all applicants must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom and be able to commute to our Leamington Spa studio. Benefits and Workplace Culture Lighthouse Games believe that a high-performance team requires high-performance support. Lighthouse Games offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to provide stability and well-being for our staff. This includes 25 days of annual leave, plus an additional day for your birthday, and a full studio shutdown between Christmas and New Year to ensure everyone has time to disconnect and recharge. Our financial and health provisions include a discretionary bonus scheme, a private pension scheme, and comprehensive private healthcare. We place a significant emphasis on health and well-being, providing dental care, optical treatments, and dedicated mental health support. We strive to maintain a caring and stimulating environment where industry veterans and new talent alike can thrive and produce their best work. How to Apply for Senior Gameplay Animator If you are a Senior Gameplay Animator looking to join a studio where your expertise will directly shape a new AAA franchise, we encourage you to apply. Please submit your CV along with a link to your demo reel. Your reel should showcase a strong grasp of realistic movement, MoCap cleanup, and character-driven storytelling. Lighthouse Games is an equal opportunity employer. Lighthouse Games look forward to seeing how your skills and passion can contribute to our growing team in Royal Leamington Spa.

JOb Overview Company: Lighthouse Games Job Title: Gameplay Animator Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent Location: Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom Seniority Level: Mid-Level Required Experience: 2+ Years in Video Game Production Salary Range: £38,000 – £52,000 GBP (Estimated – 2026 UK regional benchmarks) Industry: AAA Game Development Core Tech Stack: Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine / Unity Studio Overview Lighthouse Games is an ambitious AAA studio situated in the heart of Leamington Spa, one of the UK’s most prominent hubs for game development. Founded on the principles of creative autonomy and technical innovation, our studio is dedicated to crafting world-class gaming experiences that push the boundaries of storytelling and interactive design. We are building a team of industry veterans and rising talent who share a common goal: to create original titles that resonate with players globally. At Lighthouse Games, we believe that the best games are born from a culture of collaboration and respect. We provide our developers with the environment they need to innovate, ensuring that every voice is heard and every discipline is valued. As we embark on our latest high-profile project, we are looking for a Gameplay Animator who is ready to leave their mark on a new generation of games. Role Summary Lighthouse Games is seeking a highly skilled and creative Gameplay Animator to join our Animation Department. In this role, your primary objective will be to bridge the gap between artistic expression and technical functionality. You will be responsible for creating fluid, responsive, and highly polished animations that define how players interact with the game world. The ideal candidate understands that gameplay animation is not just about aesthetic beauty; it is about “feel.” You will work at the intersection of design and technology, ensuring that every jump, strike, or subtle movement responds instantly to player input while maintaining a high degree of visual fidelity. This role is perfect for an animator who finds joy in the technical challenge of in-engine implementation and the artistic challenge of lifelike character performance. Key Responsibilities and Performance Expectations Your daily focus will involve the creation of high-quality gameplay animations that prioritize responsiveness and player agency. You will be expected to craft sequences that feel weightful and grounded, ensuring that the character’s physics and timing align with the mechanical requirements of the game. Whether working on bipedal locomotion or complex combat maneuvers, your work will be the primary lens through which the player experiences the game’s physical world. Collaboration is a cornerstone of the Lighthouse workflow. You will partner closely with Gameplay Designers to conceptualize animation systems that support specific mechanics. This iterative process involves taking a concept from a rough block-out to a final, polished state, often requiring you to troubleshoot transitions and blend trees to ensure motion is seamless. You will be expected to take ownership of your animations from the initial keyframing stage through to final integration in the game engine. Technical Integration and Problem Solving A significant portion of this role involves the technical side of animation. You will collaborate with the Technical Animation and Programming teams to address challenges related to state machines, layering, and procedural systems. We value artists who are comfortable “under the hood” of a game engine, diagnosing why a transition might feel jarring or how to optimize a skeleton for better performance without losing expressive quality. While Lighthouse Games appreciate technical rigor, we also value the human touch. You should have the judgment to know when to rely on motion-capture data and when to apply hand-keyed techniques to enhance the “appeal” and clarity of an action. Your ability to clean up MoCap data while retaining the nuances of a performance—or adding character-specific flourishes through traditional animation—will be vital to our studio’s signature quality. Required Qualifications and Experience To be successful in this role, you must have a minimum of two years of professional experience specifically within the video game industry. We are looking for a proven track record of delivering animations for shipped or mid-development titles, ideally within the action or adventure genres. A strong portfolio or showreel is mandatory, demonstrating your grasp of weight, timing, and character silhouette in a gameplay context. Proficiency in industry-standard software, specifically Maya or Blender, is essential. You should possess a deep understanding of the principles of animation and how they translate to a non-linear medium where player control is constant. Experience with game engines—preferably Unreal Engine or Unity—is required, as you will be expected to manage your assets within the engine environment. Communication and Cultural Fit At Lighthouse Games, we work as a cohesive unit. You must be able to communicate complex animation concepts to non-animators, such as producers or programmers, and be open to receiving and providing constructive feedback. We are looking for an individual who is passionate about the medium, stays informed about the latest industry trends, and is eager to share new techniques with the wider team to improve our collective output. The ideal candidate is someone who is methodical in their work but remains flexible in the face of shifting production needs. A keen eye for detail and a “player-first” mindset are what will set you apart. We want an animator who plays games, understands what makes movement feel satisfying, and has the technical discipline to replicate that feeling for our audience. Technical Assets and Preferred Skills While not strictly required, experience with Unreal Engine’s animation toolsets (such as Sequencer or Blueprint animation graphs) would be a significant advantage. Additionally, familiarity with scripting languages like Python or MEL is a plus, as it allows for the automation of repetitive tasks and the customization of personal workflows. Experience with facial animation or complex creature rigging will also be viewed favorably during the selection process. Benefits and Employee Well-being Lighthouse Games is committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that supports both professional stability and personal health. We offer 25 days of annual leave, plus an additional day for your birthday, and a dedicated studio shutdown between Christmas and New Year to ensure … Read more