Motion Capture Reel: (Password: Mocap)
- 3D Animator
Shaun Anthony Johnston
- San Diego, United States
- 3 projects
I’m Shaun Johnston, a Principal Gameplay Animator and Real-Time Animation Systems Specialist with 25+ years of experience shipping 16 released titles across AAA, MMO, live-service, PC, and console game development.
About
I’m Shaun Johnston, a Principal Gameplay Animator and Real-Time Animation Systems Specialist with 25+ years of experience shipping 16 released titles across AAA, MMO, live-service, PC, and console game development. I specialize in solving production animation challenges where gameplay responsiveness, motion capture, keyframe animation, engine implementation, tools, workflows, and production constraints intersect.
I thrive on cross-disciplinary collaboration with engineering, design, technical animation, and production teams to turn animation goals into scalable gameplay systems. I’m excited to explore new workflows, AI-assisted motion, and realtime pipelines in Unreal Engine 5 and Unity, while continuing to refine facial animation, mocap evaluation, and authoring tooling for robust gameplay experiences.
- Joined June 2026
Industry experience
- Gaming
- Media & Entertainment
Projects · 3
(Password: sjreel)
- 3D Animator
(Password: sjfpreel)
- 3D Animator
Work experience· 5 roles
Principal Animator · INTREPID STUDIOSJan 2023 – Jan 2026 · 3 yrs 1 mo
Principal animator supporting development of Ashes of Creation, a large-scale MMORPG built in Unreal Engine 5. Created gameplay animations for player characters, NPCs, creatures, environmental assets, and interactive gameplay elements supporting prototype and production development. Evaluated motion-capture and AI-assisted animation solutions, including Xsens and QuickMagic AI, supporting workflow development and production decision-making. Led MetaHuman facial animation and lip-sync feasibility investigations, identifying production-ready solutions, technical constraints, and implementation requirements. Worked with Animation Blueprints, Child Animation Blueprints, Blend Spaces, Animation Montages, Animation Sequences, Skeletal Mesh Integration, and Modular Character Assembly workflows. Designed and developed MotionBuilder production tools including a Selection-Based Pose Library Tool. Collaborated with engineering, design, technical animation, and production teams to convert animatio
Animation Director · MUTANT ARM STUDIOSJan 2022 – Jan 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo
Led animation and technical animation teams on an Unreal Engine production. Established workflows and best practices.
Animation Director · PROTAGONIST GAMESJan 2019 – Jan 2022 · 3 yrs 1 mo
Led animation and technical teams. Evaluated and selected OptiTrack motion-capture solutions. Directed performance capture implementation.
Senior Animator · DAYBREAK GAME COMPANYJan 2014 – Jan 2019 · 5 yrs 1 mo
Senior Animator / Artist · SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENTJan 2001 – Jan 2014 · 13 yrs 1 mo
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