🎭 4A Games is Hiring – Senior Facial Animator

Are you a master of micro-expressions, lip-sync, and the subtle art of emotional storytelling? At 4A Games, we believe that the soul of a game lies in its characters. To truly immerse players in our next-generation worlds, we need facial animations that are not just technically precise, but deeply evocative and human. We are currently seeking a Senior Facial Animator to join our team in Malta and take our character performances to an entirely new level.

About 4A Games

4A Games is a studio built on the foundation of technical excellence and narrative ambition. Known for our atmospheric, immersive experiences, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in gaming. Our creative culture thrives on the collision of art and technology, where every team member plays a direct role in shaping the player’s emotional journey. Based in the scenic, sunny environment of Malta, our studio offers a unique setting where world-class talent gathers to build the next generation of interactive storytelling.

The Role: Breathing Life into Characters

As a Senior Facial Animator, you will be responsible for creating the high-quality, expressive facial performances that connect players to our characters. You won’t just be moving vertices; you will be acting through your work. Whether it is a subtle flicker of worry in a character’s eyes or a complex, dialogue-driven performance that carries the weight of a narrative, your work will define how players perceive and interact with our world.

This role requires a deep understanding of human anatomy, performance, and acting principles. You will bridge the gap between technical motion capture data and polished, hand-keyed artistry to ensure that our characters feel authentic in every frame.

Quick Job Summary : Senior Facial Animator

Key Responsibilities

Your contributions will sit at the center of our cinematic and gameplay experiences. Your daily responsibilities include:

• Expressive Animation: Crafting believable, high-quality facial performances that convey a wide range of emotions and narrative intent.
• Mocap Integration: Taking raw facial motion capture data and refining it, cleaning it, and polishing it to meet cinematic standards.
• Rig Collaboration: Working closely with character technical directors to manage blendshapes and rigs, ensuring that they provide the range needed for top-tier performance.
• Performance Polishing: Utilizing keyframe techniques to add nuance, timing, and appeal to facial movements that mocap alone cannot capture.
• Technical Pipeline Management: Understanding the constraints of real-time engines and working within those budgets to deliver high-fidelity visuals that run seamlessly on target platforms.
• Creative Input: Collaborating with designers, directors, and artists to ensure that facial performances align perfectly with the overarching game narrative.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for a seasoned animator who knows that performance is more than just lip-syncing—it is about intent and emotion. Candidates should possess:

• Experience: A minimum of 5+ years of professional experience in facial animation within the gaming, film, or interactive media industries.
• Technical Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Maya, with strong skills in both keyframe animation and facial animation editing.
• Mocap Knowledge: Significant experience working with facial motion capture data pipelines (such as ARKit, Faceware, or Dynamixyz).
• Real-Time Expertise: Solid understanding of Unreal Engine or Unity, particularly regarding how facial animation integrates into real-time pipelines.
• Anatomical Understanding: A keen eye for detail, realism, and the subtle mechanics of facial muscles and micro-expressions.

Bonus points will be awarded for experience with MotionBuilder, scripting skills (Python/MEL) to improve pipeline efficiency, rig development, or specialized experience in stylized/non-human facial animation.

Why Join Us?

Joining 4A Games means joining a team dedicated to defining the future of gaming. You will work on ambitious projects, collaborate with industry leaders, and live in a beautiful Mediterranean setting. We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your life in Malta. If you are ready to craft performances that will define the future of interactive storytelling, we want to see your reel.