Nine Twenty's client is on a mission to transform the iGaming landscape by bringing their own brand of thoughtful, user-led products to the forefront. Building on their roots in free-to-play game development, now combining that experience with bold creativity to craft engaging entertainment products that deliver strong retention and global appeal. With a focus on creating both free-to-play and real money games that are intuitive, accessible, and — above all — fun to play.
They care deeply about work-life balance and are always looking for ways to improve the well-being of the team. They know that life happens, so they built a flexible and supportive workplace to help everyone do their best work and enjoy doing it.
The Role
We’re looking for a Senior Spine 2D Animator to bring our games to life through expressive, dynamic, and showstopping animations. This is a key role within our expanding design team, where you’ll have the opportunity to shape the motion and personality of our games across characters, UI, effects, and environments.
As a growing studio, we made the strategic decision to elevate our animation to Spine 2D and are looking for a proactive individual with strong problem-solving abilities to help us implement and sustain Spine within our design and development pipelines. The ideal candidate should understand the requirements of Spine and be keen to share knowledge by mentoring our Lottie animator in this new format. You should also be passionate about staying up to date with industry developments and encourage growth within the team and organization.
You’ll collaborate with artists, designers, and developers to define animation styles, pipelines, and polish — from initial concept to in-game implementation. If you’re someone who sees animation as a key part of storytelling, is detail-oriented and keen to mentor, and thrives in a creative, fast-paced environment — we’d love to meet you.
What you’ll be doing
- Designing and producing impactful 2D animations for characters, game UI, VFX, and environments
- Developing and maintaining animation pipelines using tools like Spine 2D and After Effects
- Creating smooth, optimised, performance-friendly animations for real-time gameplay
- Collaborating with artists, designers, and developers to ensure animations enhance game feel, functionality, and storytelling ability
- Supporting our Lottie animator in learning Spine software and developing key animation techniques
- Producing promotional animation for marketing and sales campaigns
- Holding/participating in creative brainstorming sessions and feedback cycles to enhance visual quality and create innovative new concepts
- Staying up to date with emerging animation and VFX trends within the gaming industry and broader design world
What we’re looking for
Essential:
- A strong portfolio/demo reel showcasing high-quality 2D animations (ideally for games)
- Expert knowledge of animation principles (timing, spacing, squash/stretch, anticipation) and advanced techniques (such as inbetweening)
- Proficiency in Spine 2D and Adobe After Effects
- Experience creating/preparing game-ready assets, sprite sheets, and texture atlases
- A clear understanding of optimisation for mobile and web-based games
- Confidence in refining the animation process and defining best practices
- Experience working with cross-functional teams (e.g., development, marketing)
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, iterative environment and adapting to feedback
- Proactive with a positive problem-solving mindset, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- Passion for all things animation and keen to stay up to date with motion, VFX and micro interaction trends
Desired:
- Previous experience in the mobile gaming or iGaming industry
- Experience with 3D modelling software and animation (such as Blender)
- Track record of successfully mentoring other creatives
- Experience with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator for prepping/editing assets
What’s in it for you?
- Flexibility to work fully remote, hybrid, or from our comfortable offices; whatever suits you best
- Be part of a supportive, fast-paced team that values your ideas and growth
- Opportunity to influence the artistic direction of innovative iGaming projects
- Competitive salary with clear room for growth
- Access to training, mentorship, and industry events to develop your skills
- Support for remote work setup (equipment provided)
- Employer-contributed pension
If this role excites you and you are a good fit, get in touch ASAP! Contact Nyomi at: nodowd@weareninetwenty.com