What are you working on?
- ▪The name of the project(s): Unannounced rock-horror story-driven game
- ▪At what stage of the project(s)? Early prototype. Story and vision are defined, but core art, characters, animation, and UE5 vertical slice are still being built.
- ▪Genres: Action, Adventure
- ▪Platforms: PC, Console
We are a small independent game team building an unannounced rock-horror story-driven game in Unreal Engine 5.
The project sits at the intersection of games, horror, and rock / metal culture, with creative input from world-class music talent.
The project is currently in prototype / vertical slice stage. This means the work is practical, hands-on, and visible quickly in the build. We are looking for people who like early-stage projects, can work from rough direction, and can help turn a prototype into a stronger pitch demo.
You will work directly with the project leads, with fast feedback and clear short-term goals. The team is small, so good work has real impact.
Team size and structure?
Small independent team with project leads, writer/story support, Unreal development support, character art, and external freelancers/studios as needed
For which tasks (responsibilities)?
Target
Help bring a short Unreal Engine 5 vertical slice to life with cinematic animation, mocap cleanup, retargeting, and early facial / MetaHuman pipeline tests.
Set up or clean up body animation for humanoid and creature-style characters.
- ▪Work with Unreal Engine 5 animation tools, Sequencer, retargeting, and animation Blueprints where needed.
- ▪Clean up, edit, and adapt mocap or captured performance data for use in Unreal.
- ▪Help evaluate mocap data quality and identify what needs recapture, hand-key cleanup, or camera/VFX support.
- ▪Help test a MetaHuman-compatible animation pipeline, especially for dialogue and facial performance.
- ▪Support facial animation tests using MetaHuman Animator, Live Link Face, ARKit-style blendshapes, or similar workflows if available.
- ▪Retarget existing animation packs or mocap data to project characters.
- ▪Block short cinematic moments for performance, dialogue, ritual, possession, and horror presentation.
- ▪Review character models / rigs and explain what is needed for animation readiness.
What kind of professional are we looking for?
- ▪Strong animation fundamentals.
- ▪Experience getting animations into Unreal Engine 5.
- ▪Retargeting experience.
- ▪Mocap cleanup / editing experience.
- ▪Sequencer experience.
- ▪Familiarity with MetaHuman animation workflows.
- ▪Facial animation experience for dialogue or cinematic scenes.
- ▪Ability to work with prototype assets, placeholder rigs, and incomplete production data.
Nice to have
- ▪MetaHuman Animator, Live Link Face, ARKit blendshapes, or similar facial capture / facial rig experience.
- ▪Control Rig experience.
- ▪Experience with optical mocap, inertial mocap, video-based mocap, or performance capture pipelines.
- ▪Creature animation experience.
- ▪Experience adapting custom character art toward a MetaHuman-compatible or Unreal-friendly animation pipeline.
- ▪Blender, Maya, MotionBuilder, Rokoko, Xsens, Move.ai, or similar pipeline experience.
What is important for us in a person?
- ▪Clear about what is possible now and what needs a proper rig later.
- ▪Practical with prototype constraints.
- ▪Good communication with artists, Unreal developers, and production.
- ▪Comfortable giving short technical notes and pipeline recommendations.
- ▪Reliable with delivery and status updates.
Why do we enjoy working here?
- ▪Help define the animation pipeline for an early-stage Unreal project.
- ▪Work on cinematic horror / narrative material, not only generic locomotion.
- ▪Opportunity to shape both body animation and facial animation direction.
- ▪Good portfolio material if the trial goes well.
What are the conditions and bonuses?
- ▪Remote work.
- ▪Freelance / contract setup.
- ▪Short paid trial task first.
- ▪Flexible schedule by agreement.
The selection process
- ▪Send reel / portfolio with notes on what you personally animated.
- ▪Short intro call or message exchange.
- ▪Small paid trial such as retargeting, Sequencer blocking, or a MetaHuman/facial test.
- ▪Continue on vertical slice work if the trial fits.
Please include Unreal examples if you have them.