Animator Intern

Job description

Level Up Your Career with Zynga! At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times—connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition. From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™—plus many more! Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation—and where you can take your career to the next level. Join us and be part of the play! We are seeking a creative and motivated Animator Intern to join our dynamic game art team. This is an opportunity to contribute to high-quality game animation while learning and working closely with experienced artists, animators, designers and technical artists. What you will do • Create and support high-quality 3D animations for characters, creatures, props and gameplay elements under the guidance of senior animators. · Work across 3D animation workflows using 3ds Max, Maya, Spine and Unity. · Create, refine and integrate animations into Unity and support animation setup, rigs and prefabs. · Work with character and prop rigs, keyframe animation, timing, posing and animation principles. · Support 2D/2.5D animation requirements in Spine where needed. · Collaborate with artists, designers, technical artists and engineers to deliver animation assets for games. · Explore AI-assisted workflows for animation ideation, reference generation, asset preparation and creative experimentation. · Learn and follow game art pipelines, naming conventions, optimization practices and production workflows. · Take feedback positively and iterate on animation work to meet quality and gameplay requirements. What we require • Strong foundation in 3D animation principles, including timing, spacing, posing, weight and anticipation. · Hands-on expertise/familiarity with 3ds Max and Maya for 3D animation. · Strong working knowledge of Unity for animation integration and game-engine workflows. · Working knowledge of Spine for 2D/2.5D animation workflows. · Good understanding of character animation, rigging and keyframe-based workflows. · Photoshop skills for basic asset preparation and supporting animation workflows. · Basic understanding of VFX, particles, cameras and animation-related effects in Unity. · Familiarity with game art pipelines and mobile game development. · Interest in animation, concept art or visual storytelling, and passion for games and interactive storytelling. · Experience with Autodesk 3ds Max / Maya / Spine & After Effects. · Please include your animation portfolio/reel in the application. 3D animation, Unity, Spine or AI-assisted creative work samples are encouraged. It will be great if you also have: · Experience experimenting with generative AI tools for image, video, animation or creative ideation. · Exposure to AI tools or AI-assisted creative workflows, with an interest in exploring how AI can improve animation workflows. · Ability to collaborate effectively, learn quickly and work within a game production environment. · Strong visual communication, observation and problem-solving skills. What We Offer: • Mentorship from industry experts with years of experience in Engineering and Game Development • Opportunities to contribute to live projects that impact millions o