Senior Gameplay Animator; NPC

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CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Gameplay Animator with a focus on NPC’s to join our Boston hub and contribute to the development of Cyberpunk 2, the next mainline Cyberpunk 2077 game.

In this role, you will create high-quality player and NPC combat and locomotion animation. You’ll deliver grounded, believable character performances that can escape into heightened combat action. This is a hands‑on individual contributor role, working from early previsualization and prototyping through final in‑engine implementation. You will collaborate closely with Designers and other multidisciplinary partners, with a focus on NPC movement and combat behaviors that are readable, responsive, and engaging in moment‑to‑moment gameplay.

Reporting to the Animation Lead, you will help set the quality bar and best practices for character movement and the overall combat experience.

Daily Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality player and NPC animation across a wide range of characters, enemy behaviors, combat and locomotion states, and encounter scenarios.
• Partner with the Animation Lead and key stakeholders to align animation quality, style, and execution with the project’s aesthetic goals, gameplay pillars, and overall player experience.
• Collaborate daily within a cross-disciplinary team to define gameplay experiential goals and deliver features from concept through final implementation.
• Create pre-visualizations and prototypes to assist in communication and development.
• Create high-quality finished player and NPC animation using a mix of hand-keyed and motion capture to deliver exciting, expressive, and readable character motion.
• Work hands‑on within Unreal Engine to implement, iterate, and validate NPC animation in real-time gameplay contexts, ensuring animations look and feel strong in play.
• Research, explore and advocate new techniques, systems, and workflows to improve animation quality, efficiency, and support evolving gameplay and previsualization needs.
• Contribute to motion capture shot lists and provide performance direction when applicable.
• Provide clear feedback and animation insight during reviews and other collaborations, helping raise quality across NPC gameplay animation.
• Provide mentorship, inspiration, and support to early-career animators through feedback, collaboration, and example.

• 5+ years of professional experience in gameplay animation development with at least 1 title shipped.
• Professional experience developing animation in Unreal Engine (or an equivalent real-time game engine).
• Deep animation fundamentals, including weight, timing, posing, and clarity.
• Ability to author hand-keyed animation and motion capture into compelling performances.
• Proficient in 3D animation skills using Maya, Motion Builder, or equivalent DCC tools.
• Experience with blending dynamic, hand-keyed moments with captured motion, and enhancing mo‑cap for greater appeal without degrading the source.
• Thorough understanding of body mechanics and physics as they relate to believable character movement and combat.
• Capability to self-manage, estimate task scope, and make responsible decisions about time and priorities.

Nice to Have

• Experience working on open-world or RPG titles.
• Experience developing NPC combat animation or enemy behavior for Shooter and Action-oriented games.
• Familiarity with motion matching or advanced NPC movement solutions.

Candidates should include a portfolio in their application.

The application window for this position will close by 07/30/2026.

This job requires working in Boston, US.
Working mode: in-office in a hybrid or full-time capacity.

• Company-paid medical healthcare (dental, vision, and mental).
• Free mental health support, including access to counseling, psychiatric care, and a variety of well‑being webinars.
• Paid leave — 20days of holiday per year…