Senior Animator
Critical Path Games is a community of veteran game developers committed to discovering the next major video game genre. This vision goes beyond creating “fast follow” games or betting on an underserved audience play; instead, our aim is to deliver an innovative and novel gaming experience for players worldwide. With a proven track record of bringing multiple AAA, globally appealing, award-winning games to market, we’re now refining our approach to achieve even greater impact.
We are currently in pre-production on our first project and seeking a talented and passionate animator to join our art team on a full-time, permanent basis and help bring our game worlds to life.
If you have a deep understanding of how to tell stories through player movement and thrive in small, multi-disciplinary teams, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your resume and a reel showcasing combat animation through the below form
Responsibilities
Drive an Iterative Animation Pipeline
Take full ownership of animations from concept to in-engine implementation. You will champion a “playable early” philosophy by delivering rapid rough block-outs to test in the game immediately, followed by structured phases of refinement to reach final polish.
Define Combat Feel & Responsiveness
Work tightly with the team to establish the underlying mechanics of our melee system. You will balance strict gameplay requirements - such as frame data, cancel windows, and active hit frames - ensuring combat is highly responsive to player input without sacrificing impact.
Execute Stylized Believability
Craft high-quality character and weapon animations that push our defined visual style. Grounded in “stylized believability,” your work will convey convincing physical weight, heavy momentum, and distinct anticipation to ensure perfect visual readability during fast-paced action.
Qualifications
10+ Years of Experience
As an Animator in the games industry, with at least one shipped AAA or high-profile title featuring complex character mechanics.
Deep Understanding of “Game Feel”
You understand how animation serves gameplay - including concepts like cancel windows, hit pauses, blending, the flow of attack combos, and how to balance expressive animation with strict responsiveness.
3D Software Proficiency
Extensive experience in 3D animation software (Maya, MotionBuilder, Blender).
Note: Regardless of previous experience, our studio pipeline is built entirely in Blender. You must be willing to learn and adapt to animating in Blender, though we understand there may be an onboarding curve.
Engine & Implementation Experience
Proven experience working with game engines (Unreal, Unity, or proprietary) to implement animations, tweak blend spaces, and troubleshoot animation logic.
A Collaborative Mindset
You thrive in an environment where all disciplines sit at the same table to solve problems together.
Bonus Qualifications
Experience with rigging, skinning, or building custom animation tools/scripts to speed up workflow.
Familiarity with stylized or exaggerated animation techniques to push visual impact.
Interest in dark fantasy aesthetics and gameplay.
Culture
Our team is united by a shared approach to work: one that values collective success, embraces iteration, and approaches every challenge with curiosity and a love for games. Ideal candidates for this role will resonate with the following statements:
Gamer and Game Developer
You are actively aware of current trends in video games, both artistic and gameplay oriented.
You have a genuine passion for games and their players and want to help shape what’s possible and meaningful in the medium.
You play games for fun regularly.
Collaborative Team Player
You thrive in a small, in-person work environment, defaulting to a “team-first” mindset that prioritizes the goals and needs of the larger organization over individual preferences.
You are eager to participate in creative discussions and help shape the look and feel of the world.
Resilient and Adaptive
You are flexible and proactive, comfortable in the fast-moving environment of pre-production, where ideas are shared openly and iteration is embraced.
Humble and Curious
You value deep collaboration and are open to learning about new perspectives or approaches, debating ideas, and adapting strategies based on feedback and industry trends.
Salary
Critical Path Games uses a set salary system where compensation is determined by seniority, not discipline, and is non-negotiable. We believe this promotes fairness and transparency, and reflects that all disciplines are essential to the development of great video games. Additionally, it reduces the opportunity for bias in the hiring process as it focuses on qualifications instead of personal negotiation skills. All employees are entitled to participate in the Company’s Equity Incentive Plan, using the same system.
We believe that this role could successfully be filled by a mid-level or senior candidate and, as such, the successful candidate will receive an offer in-line with their background.
Mid Developer (~5-10 years) - $131,250 CAD / year
Senior Developer (~10+ years) - $157,500 CAD / year
Our studio is based in Burnaby, BC. We are a team that works together, in-office, every day. Please note that we will not be considering candidates interested in fully remote or hybrid setups for this role. Working on-site to create extremely fast iteration loops and open pathways for communication and feedback is a core part of our company’s strategy.
Pay: $131,250.00-$157,500.00 per year
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Burnaby, BC: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Work Location: In person
