Senior Cocos Animator

# Senior Cocos Animator

We are hiring a Senior Cocos Animator for our client — a gaming product company building high-performance real-money and social casino experiences with a strong focus on real-time gameplay feedback and motion systems.

This role focuses on creating, assembling, and optimizing in-engine animations directly in Cocos Creator, with a strong emphasis on gameplay clarity, responsiveness, and performance efficiency across mobile and web platforms.

You will own the full animation pipeline from concept through in-engine implementation and collaborate closely with engineers, game designers, and UI/UX teams.

## Responsibilities

### Animation & Motion Design

• Create high-quality gameplay animations for:

• Game states (idle, deal, reveal, win/lose, bonus, celebrations)
• Card game interactions (shuffle, deal, fan, reveal, chip movement, table transitions)
• Design UI motion that improves clarity, feedback, and user engagement
• Build VFX and particle effects for wins, streaks, combos, jackpots, and events
• Ensure motion is responsive, readable, and emotionally satisfying

### In-Engine Assembly (Cocos Creator)

• Build, rig, and assemble animations directly in Cocos Creator
• Configure timelines, curves, animation states, and event systems
• Create reusable prefabs and motion components for scalable production
• Set up triggers, animation events, and integration-ready systems for developers
• Ensure smooth handoff and reliable implementation in-engine

### Performance & Optimization

• Optimize animation assets (atlases, sprite sheets, skeletal rigs, textures)
• Balance frame-based vs skeletal animation approaches depending on use case
• Define and maintain performance budgets (memory, draw calls, file size)
• Profile and optimize animations across devices and frame rates
• Ensure smooth performance on mobile and web platforms
• Build reusable animation and VFX libraries for production efficiency

### Collaboration & Workflow

• Work closely with product, game design, UI/UX, and engineering teams
• Ensure motion supports gameplay mechanics, pacing, and economy systems
• Provide clear documentation and technical specs for implementation
• Review builds and PRs to ensure visual fidelity and performance quality
• Present animation concepts and iterate based on feedback
• Mentor peers and help improve motion and in-engine best practices

## Requirements

### Must-Have

• 5+ years of experience in game animation or motion design
• 3+ years of experience delivering in-engine animations in shipped titles
• Strong portfolio in gaming or iGaming (casino/card games is a plus)
• Advanced proficiency in Cocos Creator:

• Animation clips
• Timelines
• State machines
• Prefabs
• Events
• Proven ability to assemble and ship animations in-engine
• Strong understanding of animation principles (timing, easing, anticipation, overlap)
• Deep knowledge of optimization (atlases, batching, draw calls, compression)
• Experience with mobile and web performance constraints and profiling
• Strong English communication skills

### Nice to Have

• Spine rigging and animation experience (integration workflows)
• Experience with JavaScript/TypeScript in Cocos pipelines
• Familiarity with After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator
• Knowledge of particle systems and shader-based VFX
• Understanding of casino game UX patterns and player feedback systems
• Mandarin language skills

## Working Approach

• Player-first motion design focused on clarity and responsiveness
• Performance-driven development with profiling and optimization
• System-based thinking (reusable motion libraries over one-off animations)

## Application Requirements

Please include:

• Portfolio or reel showcasing in-engine Cocos animation work (with your contribution clearly stated)
• Short case study describing:

• Problem and goals
• Technical/creative constraints
• Optimization approach
• Final impact
• CV or LinkedIn profile