At Couch Heroes, we’re exploring new ground for the MMO genre. In a world where fantasy and ancient technology intertwine, players explore shattered realms, grapple across verticality, solve puzzles, and push back corruption, with progression driven by player expression and discovery.We envision creating a bridge between the gamers of the 80s all the way to the gamers of today, creating a space where both coexist and journey together. We’re developing in Unreal Engine, in early production, with a team spanning multiple countries.
We’re remote-first, based in the UK, and scaling to support a multi-year live-service roadmap. We value autonomy, curiosity, and collaborative ownership, and we’re looking for creators who want to help build something from the ground up. Sound like your kind of thing? We should talk.
At Couch Heroes, we’re all about heart, humour, and player connection. We’re building an original multiplayer game in Unreal Engine 5, blending stylish visuals, expressive characters, and a touch of chaos you can only get when friends share the same couch (or at least the same server). You understand the power of a strong silhouette, the poetry in exaggeration, the beauty in a perfectly “baroque” pose that turns gameplay into performance.
We’re looking for a Lead Animator who lives for motion that feels good — the weight behind a jump, the swagger in a walk, the perfectly timed punch that makes players yell “ohhh!” You’ll be shaping the soul of our characters and leading a small, scrappy team of animators who love bringing worlds to life one frame at a time. You’ll be hands-on with keyframe animation while also guiding a team of animators, helping to define workflows, mentor artists, and collaborate across disciplines.
This isn’t a factory line job. It’s a playground for creative thinkers who thrive on experimentation, collaboration, and crafting animation that hits with personality.
In this role, you’ll work closely with our Art Director and partner teams across the studio to bring expressive, stylized, and cinematic animations to life in Unreal Engine 5. If you thrive at the intersection of leadership, creativity, and gameplay feel, we’d love to hear from you. You’ll report directly to the Art Director and play a key role in rounding out the Animation department.
Build, structure, and lead the Animation team as we scale the studio.
Mentor junior, mid and senior level animators; review work, provide clear, actionable feedback.
Help define and document workflows, animation standards, and visual direction.
Support hiring efforts and manage external partners or outsourcing if needed.
Foster a collaborative, respectful, and efficient team culture.
Create high-quality keyframed character animations using Maya and in-house rigs/tools.
Take animations from initial concept to in-engine implementation with the support of tech animation (Unreal Engine 5).
Deliver gameplay-ready animation assets for characters, creatures, and VFX elements.
Provide clear animation review to artists as needed to guide quality.
Ensure animation assets meet design requirements and are delivered on time.
Work closely with Character Art, VFX, Tech Art, and Engineering to ensure seamless integration.
Participate in syncs, milestone reviews, bug triage, and pipeline coordination.
Represent the Animation team in cross-functional meetings and planning discussions.
In your first 6 months: Deliver an animation set of game-ready player characters that meets design requirements; restructure and optimize the animation pipeline for tighter team integration; begin supporting hiring and outsourcing efforts to scale the team.
By 12 months: Solidify workflows across internal and external animation production; define and drive the visual style, rhythm, and expressiveness of all things that move (player, creatures, VFX, cinematics); become the go-to lead for animation decisions across the project.
7+ years of professional experience in animation for games, film, or cinematic content.
Strong familiarity with 3C's design and animation to work hand in hand with combat design.
3+ years in a lead or supervisory role managing other animators.
A strong reel showcasing keyframe character and creature animation.
Expertise in Maya, with a solid understanding of rigging, skinning, and clean posing.
Familiarity with the Unreal Engine 5 animation pipeline.
Strong instincts for stylized, expressive motion and performance-based animation.
Experience directing and working with motion capture shoots, reviewing deliveries, and guiding polish.
Strong knowledge of human and animal anatomy.
Experience delivering animations that align with gameplay and narrative requirements.
Ability to give clear feedback on weight, timing, performance, and readability.
Experience with facial animation and lip sync.
Background in 2D animation, drawing, or traditional art.
Experience working on MMOs or RPGs.
Familiarity with outsourcing pipelines and asset tracking tools like Perforce.
Experience blending hand-keyed animation with procedural systems or constraints.
You lead with empathy, clarity, and a sharp artistic eye.
You know how to mentor and grow a team, not just manage it.
You’re collaborative across disciplines and speak the language of both art and tech.
You can manage the stress of yourself and others, and know when to de-escalate to protect the team’s productivity and well-being.
You’re adaptable, curious, and unafraid of new tools or workflows.
You take ownership and pride in both the animation craft and the player experience it delivers.
Location: Remote-first
Type: Full-time
Start: ASAP
