Senior Gameplay Animation Software Engineer

Who We Are

Founded in 2023, Small Axe Studios is 2K’s newest stand-alone studio, built to push the boundaries of game development and bring 2K’s next groundbreaking sports franchise to life. Headquartered in Burnaby, we are assembling a world-class team of visionaries, builders, and passionate gamers who thrive on creative collaboration, technical excellence, and bold ideas. At Small Axe Studios, we believe big things start with sharp focus—and we’re crafting an exceptional, player-first experience from the ground up. If you’re ready to tackle unique challenges, leave your mark on a brand-new IP, and help shape the future of interactive sports entertainment, we want you on our team!

What We Need

We are looking for a Senior Gameplay Engineer to contribute to the development of new animation features and gameplay mechanics at our new studio. In this role, you will be working closely with Animators, Design and Production to develop nuanced and sophisticated animation behaviors that authentically replicate the beautiful, continuous flow of modern field sports. You will help build the foundation, then iterate and innovate upon it to polish world-class, pitch-perfect gameplay for what will be the next massive sports franchise in our industry.

What You Will Do

• Collaborate closely with gameplay engineers / designers to identify and develop new gameplay features

• Feature owner of key animation-driven gameplay mechanics, including complex locomotion, physical duels, and intricate foot-to-object interactions

• Support requests and features for content creation tools and animation review, helping translate authentic athlete physics, momentum, and sudden changes of direction into interactive systems

• Assist engineers in making the best use of existing and new animation features

• Keep up to date with the latest industry work and implement these techniques

• Write and maintain robust and performant code

• Optimize code and debug animation issues as they arise

What Will Make You A Great Fit

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field (or equivalent work experience)

• Excellent 3D math and linear algebra skills

• Solid familiarity and experience with C++

• 3+ years of proven experience working with animation or gameplay systems

• Implementation experience in one or more of the following areas: inverse kinematics techniques, procedural animation techniques, keyframe animation and forward kinematics

• Ability to explain technical topics to people of varying levels of expertise

• An eye for detail in creating dynamic, authentic, and responsive character animation

• A deep love for video games (not just ours!) and a passion for sports culture, tracking everything from tactical team formations to what happens from the opening whistle to the final second of extra time

Beneficial Qualifications

• Experience developing and shipping AAA games on Unreal Engine 4 and 5

• Master’s/PhD in a related field with a focus on animation related topics

• Familiarity with Python and/or C#

The pay range for this position in  British Columbia at the start of employment is expected to be between $96,400 and $142,660 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.