Internship Opportunity: Technical Animator

at  Microsoft

Rare is an Xbox Game Studio creating the kind of games the world doesn’t have. Our values – explorers, evolving, together – are fundamental to the games we make and how we make them. Rare offers rewarding and fulfilling careers for exceptional people, supporting you to learn and grow. Our studio is a welcoming campus in the heart of the Midlands, where the majority of our team work in a flexible hybrid work pattern.
Could you be our next Technical Animator Intern? We’re looking for applicants with a growth mindset and who aren’t afraid to get involved in areas they know little about first-hand. As an intern in our engine department, you can expect to have a diverse experience working between many different areas of game development.
It all begins with your onboarding, where you’ll join an established team working alongside industry experts. Throughout the placement your learning and development won’t stop, and you will receive on-the-job coaching, mentoring, and personal development from colleagues. As a valued part of the team, we’ll expect you to give your insights and opinions and make a real contribution to our business!

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A passion for video games, in particular video game animation.
• Verifiable basic understanding of a game engine and a game editor.
• Demonstrable experience in Digital Animation, Game Art, Game Development, Computer Science or a similar.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a desire to learn.
• You must be legally authorised (have citizenship or a valid visa/work permit) to work in the UK for this position. (Legally authorised = Has citizenship or has been granted a valid visa or work permit).
• Relocation expenses are not provided as part of this role - please be aware that this role will be based at Rare Studio, Twycross, Leicestershire, CV9 3QN and the successful applicant will be required to work on-site to get the best out of their 12-month internship.
  Please note, you don’t need to have experience in video game development or be studying it specifically. Also, you don’t need any formal diplomas or degrees to apply. We value your skills and enthusiasm.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience or knowledge of the animation creation process.
• Experience on scripting, programming or blueprints.
• To be able to show a work portfolio containing simple pieces of animation work in a game engine.
• Working within a team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical animators are responsible for supporting the technology used to play animations in game. As part of the Technical Animation team, you will work directly with the Engineering team, and you will support the Art, AI and Game teams to build animation systems for runtime. You will be using Unreal to create higher standards of animation across a wide variety of Rare’s unique and stylised characters. We are also invested in ongoing research and development into new and emerging animation technology. This role is a real opportunity for a problem solver with a creative technical mindset.

What you might get up to:

• Work closely with Technical Animators and Engineers to add functionalities to animation blueprints.
• Support asset creation pipelines and perform game project maintenance.
• Investigate bugs/issues and work with the team to find solutions.
• Update and complete documentation of animation system features.

Please include a copy of your CV with a cover letter and portfolio. We realise that your portfolio may be a work in progress and that’s fine, it’s your potential that will catch our eye. Here are some things you can do to help your portfolio stand out:

• Include things you are genuinely proud of – this is your chance to show off so please make the content easily accessible.
• Demonstrates why you want to work for our team at Rare. We’re a creative lot so it doesn’t have to be a letter, it could be a video, comic, or even a game