As a 3D Animator at HB Studios, you will collaborate with an elite team of cross-disciplinary professionals to design, refine, and implement top-tier animations that elevate the gameplay and cinematic realism of one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in the gaming industry. This role (3D Animator) offers a unique blend of creative and technical challenges. You will work extensively with cutting-edge motion capture data, advanced rigging setups, and modern game engine tools, transforming raw physical performances into responsive, fluid digital actions. If you have a passion for human locomotion, an eye for comedic or dramatic nuance in facial performance, and a drive to solve technical pipeline challenges, this position offers an ideal platform to advance your career. Studio Overview, HB Studios HB Studios is a premier driving force in the sports video game industry, recognized globally as the creative studio behind the critically acclaimed PGA TOUR 2K franchise. Headquartered in the historic, coastal town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, we have built a world-class reputation for delivering deeply immersive, authentic, and high-fidelity sports simulations across modern Console and PC platforms. HB Studios is a diverse, highly collaborative collective of developers, creators, engineers, and passionate gamers who are deeply invested in the art, science, and technical evolution of game development. We believe that a great game is the product of a healthy, supportive team environment where every voice is heard, and creative ownership is encouraged. As we continue to expand and push the graphical and technical boundaries of digital sports, we are looking for an experienced 3D Animator to join our team and help us breathe life into the virtual athletes on our rosters. Core Responsibilities as 3D Animator 1. High-Fidelity Character Animation & Motion Capture Integration Mocap Optimization: Edit, clean, and layer extensive motion capture data to create highly realistic human motion tailored for both real-time gameplay mechanics and high-impact cinematic sequences. Body Mechanics: Ensure all character movement exhibits realistic weight, momentum, balance, and anatomical accuracy, matching the high standards expected of professional sports athletes. Facial Performance: Hand-key complex facial rigs and polish facial performance capture to capture subtle emotional nuances, ensuring characters look alive and expressive during close-ups and dramatic beats. 2. Technical Implementation & Asset Management Prop & Environment Interaction: Utilize rigging and constraint systems within your DCC toolset to animate equipment, props, and environmental elements that interact seamlessly with character assets. Engine Integration: Import, set up, and test animation assets directly within the game engine, ensuring that all source data is clean, properly structured, and entirely build-ready. Optimization & Compliance: Maintain an uncompromising level of aesthetic quality while working strictly within established memory budgets, technical constraints, and target frame rates. 3. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration & Pipeline Innovation Engineering Partnership: Collaborate directly with Gameplay and Software Engineers to implement, test, troubleshoot, and debug state-of-the-art animation systems, state machines, and blending trees. Creative Agility: Respond constructively to creative direction and feedback from animation leads and directors, displaying an eagerness to iterate on assets to achieve the best possible result for the game. Process Improvement: Proactively identify self-directed learning opportunities, keeping pace with industry advancements to recommend new tools, workflows, and techniques that enhance studio-wide production efficiency. Core Responsibilities as 3D Animator 1. High-Fidelity Character Animation & Motion Capture Integration Mocap Optimization: Edit, clean, and layer extensive motion capture data to create highly realistic human motion tailored for both real-time gameplay mechanics and high-impact cinematic sequences. Body Mechanics: Ensure all character movement exhibits realistic weight, momentum, balance, and anatomical accuracy, matching the high standards expected of professional sports athletes. Facial Performance: Hand-key complex facial rigs and polish facial performance capture to capture subtle emotional nuances, ensuring characters look alive and expressive during close-ups and dramatic beats. 2. Technical Implementation & Asset Management Prop & Environment Interaction: Utilize rigging and constraint systems within your DCC toolset to animate equipment, props, and environmental elements that interact seamlessly with character assets. Engine Integration: Import, set up, and test animation assets directly within the game engine, ensuring that all source data is clean, properly structured, and entirely build-ready. Optimization & Compliance: Maintain an uncompromising level of aesthetic quality while working strictly within established memory budgets, technical constraints, and target frame rates. 3. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration & Pipeline Innovation Engineering Partnership: Collaborate directly with Gameplay and Software Engineers to implement, test, troubleshoot, and debug state-of-the-art animation systems, state machines, and blending trees. Creative Agility: Respond constructively to creative direction and feedback from animation leads and directors, displaying an eagerness to iterate on assets to achieve the best possible result for the game. Process Improvement: Proactively identify self-directed learning opportunities, keeping pace with industry advancements to recommend new tools, workflows, and techniques that enhance studio-wide production efficiency. Location, Lifestyle, and Relocation This position is physically located at our beautiful studio in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. For the ideal candidate, comprehensive relocation assistance may be available to help ease your transition to the region. Nova Scotia offers an unparalleled quality of life, perfectly balancing professional ambition with personal well-being. Residents enjoy immediate access to pristine wilderness, dramatic ocean coastlines, and rich cultural traditions, all set within a welcoming, safe, and community-driven environment. It is the perfect place to build a long-term career while enjoying a slower, more fulfilling pace of life outside the office. Equal Opportunity and Accessibility HB Studios and 2K Games are dedicated to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We make all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or status as an individual with a disability. HB Studios is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities can fully participate in our application and interview process, execute essential job functions, and enjoy equal access to employment benefits. If you require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment pipeline, please reach out to our human resources team. Security Advisory for Applicants: Please be aware that 2K Games and its subsidiary studios never utilize instant messaging applications (e.g., Telegram, WhatsApp) … Read more
