DON’T NOD is an independent publisher and developer, based in Paris and Montreal, creating original narrative games in the adventure (Life is Strange, Tell Me Why, Twin Mirror), RPG (Vampyr), and action (Remember Me) genres. The studio is internationally renowned for unique narrative experiences with engaging stories and characters, and has worked with industry leading publishers: Square Enix, Microsoft, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Focus Entertainment, and Capcom. DON’T NOD creates and publishes its own IPs developed in-house, as well as using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with third-party developers whose editorial visions parallel the company’s own.

Step into the studio's immersive and innovative universe at dont-nod.com

Why join us?

• You want to bring your talent to the DON’T NOD Montreal team and work on the new narrative game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, led by key members of the team behind Life is Strange;
• You want to join a diverse and committed team, both in its culture and in the content of the games it creates;
• You're looking for an environment where you'll be able to interact with all the teams in a simple and efficient manner;
• You’d like to use your artistic talents and technical knowledge to drive the characters creation processes and contribute to an original and sensitive experience based on them.

What you'll be doing

Reporting to the Montreal’s studio Animation Director, your role will be to provide technical support to the Animation, Rigging, Modeling, and Tech Art teams in order to bring characters to life using efficient tools.

Your mission will be to :

• Act as the referring technical architect responsible for character creation pipelines (and to a lesser extent, animated objects):
  • Learn and master the existing tools;
  • Analyze alternatives, propose improvements, create clear and relevant specifications;
  • Test and iterate on the implemented solutions (by yourself or with the help of programmers);
  • Debug problems;
  • Structure data;
  • Share best practices with members of various teams.
• Lead, in partnership with the programming team, the continuous improvement of production quality and efficiency for:
  • Data export/import into the engine (Maya, Mobu, MetaHuman, 3dsMax);
  • Cinematics built in Unreal - based on mocap and then iterated (Sequencer);
  • Facial animations - from facial mocap or automated LipSync tools (JALI);
  • Dynamic control of skeletons (ControlRig, Cloth Simulation, IK, Mood, Eye/Head LookAt, Eye Blinking);
  • Character locomotion and idles (Animation Graph/State machines/Layering/Blueprints/Montage);
  • Customization of characters and their accessories.
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of the state of the art in the field, in particular the Unreal 5 engine pipelines, as well as external tools (e.g., LipSync) and related DCCs.
• Propose technological innovation projects (e.g., LiveCapture, MotionMatching, ControlRig, etc.), while agilely managing the reality of available resources and the schedules of the studio's games.

The must-have skills we're looking for

• Relevant experience in delivering AA or AAA games;
• Excellent organizational capacity and autonomy;
• Ability to lead people towards a result or a vision, without being their manager;
• Good communication skills, both written and oral;
• Experience in Key frame animation and Motion Capture (gameplay and cinematic);
• Experience in Modeling, Rigging, and Animation;
• Proficiency in Maya and MotionBuilder tools; Familiarity with 3dsMax.
• Good knowledge of Unreal Editor (4 or 5). At least one significant project delivered on:
  • the cinematics’ creation/editing pipeline in this engine;
  • a facial animation system;
  • the implementation of AnimGraph/AnimBlueprint.
• Proficiency with a LipSync generation tool (e.g. JALI, Omniverse, SpeechGraphics, etc.);
• Familiarity with gameplay and cinematic pipelines in video games.

What would set you apart?

• Experience with the JALI tool;
• Knowledge of MetaHuman technology;
• Experience with LiveLink animated cinematics in Unreal Editor;
• An interest in narrative games and their ability to convey emotions through their characters.

At DON’T NOD Montreal, we celebrate diversity and inclusivity within our games as well as our teams. We commit to equal opportunities and non-discrimination in our hiring process. We are respectful of the principles of equal employment opportunities, and that is why we encourage women, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, First Nations people, people living with a disability, visible minorities, as well as any other person who can contribute to the diversity of our studio to apply for our positions.

We build close-knit teams to encourage a fulfilling work environment for all our employees.

Our teams enjoy a range of benefits, including flexibility, a generous holiday bank, time off, training and career development support, and a personalized Lifestyle spending account.

Additional perks include:

• The possibility of working anywhere in Quebec;
• Insurance and virtual healthcare coverage as of Day 1;
• Partial refund of transport fees (OPUS, BIXI and parking);
• Access to gym and fitness classes as well as a multi-sports field in summer which turns into an ice rink in winter;
• Referral bonus that goes the extra mile;
• RRSPs with the employer's contribution.