Game animator: The indie gaming landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by studios that dare to push creative boundaries and redefine player expectations. At the forefront of this movement is Digital Sun Games, a standout studio globally recognized for delivering critically acclaimed, high-quality titles. With three successful games already under our belt, we are constantly exploring new frontiers in game development, blending striking art styles with deep, engaging mechanics.
To help us forge our next ambitious path, we are seeking a highly skilled and passionate Senior Combat Animator. This pivotal role offers the opportunity to work either on-site at our vibrant studio in Valencia, Spain, or via a flexible freelance/remote collaboration format. If you are an animation expert who lives for the perfect hit reaction, understands the delicate balance between visual flair and mechanical responsiveness, and wants to leave a lasting mark on the indie game industry, we want to hear from you.
Job Summary : Game animator
| Job Overview | Details |
| Position | Senior Combat Animator |
| Company | Digital Sun Games |
| Location | Valencia, Spain or Remote/Freelance |
| Employment Type | Full-Time or Freelance Contract |
| Work Hours | 35 hours per week (7-hour workdays) |
| Experience Required | 4+ years in the video game industry |
| Core Software | Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max |
| Game Engine | Unreal Engine |
The Role: Crafting the Heartbeat of Gameplay
In action-driven video games, combat is more than just a mechanic—it is the core language through which the player interacts with the world. As a Senior Combat Animator at Digital Sun, you will be the architect of this language. Your primary responsibility will be crafting high-quality, expressive, and gameplay-driven combat animations that feel satisfying, responsive, and impactful.
This position bridges the gap between pure artistic expression and rigorous technical execution. You will not just be making characters move; you will be defining how it feels to swing a sword, dodge an incoming attack, or unleash a devastating magical ability. We are looking for an animator with an innate flair for stylized motion—someone who understands that realism often takes a backseat to exaggeration, clarity, and pure fun in game animation.
Game animator
Key Responsibilities as Game Animator
- Design and Execute Standout Animations: Create a wide array of combat animations, including complex melee attack strings, fluid dodges, dramatic hit reactions, and impactful death sequences for both player characters and enemies.
- Prioritize Gameplay and Player Feedback: Ensure all animations support player readability and game feel. Every frame must communicate anticipation, weight, and impact clearly, allowing players to make split-second decisions during intense combat.
- Seamless Engine Integration: Implement and optimize your animations directly within Unreal Engine. You will be responsible for setting up and managing Animation Blueprints, Notifies, Montages, Blend Spaces, and State Machines to ensure flawless playback in real-time.
- Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Partner closely with game designers, combat programmers, and VFX artists. You will iterate on timing, frame data, and visual/audio synchronization to achieve a cohesive and polished combat experience.
- Maintain Technical and Artistic Consistency: Adapt to and elevate the studio’s established stylized aesthetic, ensuring all character movements align with the narrative and artistic vision of the project.
- Optimize Remote and On-Site Workflows: Maintain high communication standards, actively participating in feedback loops and adapting smoothly to asynchronous workflows if working in a freelance or remote capacity.
Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
Digital Sun Games is looking for a seasoned professional who combines technical mastery of modern animation pipelines with a deep, intuitive understanding of movement mechanics. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of shipping real-time combat systems and thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. Game animator.
Minimum Requirements for Game animator
- Industry Experience: A minimum of 4+ years of professional experience as an animator within the video game industry, with a strong focus on gameplay-driven asset creation.
- Proving Ground Portfolio: A robust, high-quality animation reel or portfolio showcasing exceptional combat animation work. Your reel should clearly demonstrate your ability to convey weight, impact, and timing in real-time or shipped game projects.
- Software Mastery: High proficiency with industry-standard 3D animation software, specifically Autodesk Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max.
- Core Animation Principles: A profound understanding of classic animation principles—including anticipation, staging, follow-through, arcs, and exaggeration—and how to translate them into fast-paced gameplay mechanics.
- Unreal Engine Pipeline Expertise: Hands-on experience working inside Unreal Engine, particularly with animation-specific tools like AnimNotifies (for syncing audio/VFX), AnimMontages, and core blueprint workflows.
- Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills. Digital Sun operates in an international environment, so comfort working within a Spanish and/or English-speaking team is essential.
Desired Skills & Preferred Experience
- Stylized Combat Flair: Specialized experience creating stylized combat sequences rather than photorealistic motion.
- Advanced UE Systems: Familiarity with advanced technical animation concepts in Unreal Engine, such as root motion, animation layering, and complex state machine architectures.
- Motion Capture Integration: Experience working with, cleaning up, and adapting motion capture data to fit stylized combat rigs.
- VFX & Audio Synchronization: A keen eye for how animation interacts with visual effects and sound design to amplify the perceived impact of a combat action.
Job Overview & Compensation Profile
To provide a clear snapshot of this career opportunity, the table below outlines the core parameters of the Senior Combat Animator position at Digital Sun Games.
Game animator
| Company Name | Job Title | Salary Range | Job Type | Location | Experience Level |
| Digital Sun | Senior Combat Animator | Competitive (Commensurate with experience & profile) | Full-Time / Freelance Contract |
Important Employment Details & Studio Perks
At Digital Sun Games, we believe that great games are made by happy, healthy, and inspired creators. We have structured our studio culture, workflows, and benefits package to actively promote a sustainable lifestyle while fostering professional growth.
Game animator.
Work Model & Flexibility
Digital Sun Games understand that creativity requires the right environment. This position offers complete flexibility based on your lifestyle and geographic location:
- On-Site / Hybrid: Work from our beautiful office in Valencia, Spain, with the option to work remotely one day per week.
- Freelance / Remote: Engage in a fully remote, asynchronous collaboration from anywhere in the world, backed by robust communication pipelines.
Unmatched Work-Life Balance
Unlike many studios in the industry, we protect our team’s time. We offer a 35-hour work week structured as a 7-hour workday, ensuring you have ample time to rest, pursue personal hobbies, and spend time with loved ones.
Comprehensive Benefits and Perks
- Health & Well-being: We offer a private health insurance subsidy to keep you and your family protected. Additionally, we provide dedicated mental health support because your psychological well-being is just as important as your physical health.
- Daily On-Site Perks: For those working in Valencia, enjoy a complimentary breakfast every morning at the office to kickstart your day, alongside optional subsidized benefits for daily transportation and dining.
- Professional Development: To help you thrive in our multicultural team, we provide free language classes in both English and Spanish.
- Community Culture: We hold regular social events, team gatherings, and community-building activities to keep our studio tight-knit, collaborative, and fun.
Note on Visa Sponsorship & Applications: Digital Sun is open to international talent. Details regarding visa sponsorship for relocation to Valencia, alongside specific application deadlines, will be discussed transparently during the initial interview stages based on the applicant’s residency status and chosen contract format (Full-Time vs. Freelance).
Career Growth Opportunities
Joining Digital Sun Games as a Senior Combat Animator means embedding yourself in an environment that values continuous learning and creative ownership. In this role, you will not just be executing tasks—you will be helping to define the gameplay identity of our upcoming titles.
As the studio grows, you will have opportunities to mentor junior animators, contribute directly to high-level system design conversations, and master cutting-edge technical animation pipelines. We actively support our team members in expanding their skill sets, whether that means transitioning into technical art leadership, animation direction, or cross-training in advanced engine mechanics.
Game animator
Conclusion: Take the Next Step in Your Career
If you are a talented animator looking to escape the grind of corporate crunch, work with an empathetic and driven team, and craft combat systems that millions of players will enjoy, Digital Sun is your next destination. We offer competitive salaries, an incredible work-life balance, and the creative freedom to build truly exceptional indie games.
Don’t miss the chance to help us shape the future of indie gaming. Review your reel, polish your portfolio, and apply today to join our team in Valencia or from the comfort of your remote workspace!
Digital Sun Games
