Z

Zynga

Mobile social games developer with freemium

Senior VFX Artist and Animation Generalist

Full-Time
No salary listed
Senior
London, UK
In Person
Art, Graphics & AnimationAnimation & VFX

About the job

Requirements
  • Significant experience at a Senior, Lead, or Principal level creating real-time visual effects and animations for games, specifically casual puzzle games or highly polished free-to-play titles.
  • Proven experience owning, building, or significantly contributing to a visual effects and animation pipeline for mobile.
  • A strong grasp of fundamental animation principles applied to gameplay elements, user interfaces, and effects.
  • Strong hands-on experience making visual effects and animations directly in Unity.
  • A strong portfolio showing high-quality in-game visual effects and motion design from idea to final implementation, highlighting satisfying visual feedback.
  • The ability to create assets from early ideation, concepts, mood boards, mockups, prototypes, or rough direction and turn them into polished in-engine results.
  • A strong understanding of mobile performance constraints and optimization techniques.
  • The ability to troubleshoot visual bugs, sorting issues, and performance problems.
  • Strong collaboration skills across art, design, technical art, engineering, and production.
  • A proactive, organized, and self-driven approach to the work.
Responsibilities
  • Own, build, and optimize the visual effects and animation pipeline, establishing efficient workflows tailored to producing dynamic and rewarding interactions for casual puzzle games.
  • Create high-quality visual effects and animations from ideation, concept, and visual exploration through to final implementation in Unity.
  • Design and implement satisfying interactions and celebratory effects that make player interactions feel tactile and rewarding.
  • Develop creative ideas that make puzzle pieces, user interfaces, environments, and effects feel alive and responsive.
  • Work hands-on with Unity workflows, including the Animation Timeline, Particle System, Shader Graph, Universal Render Pipeline, custom materials, and animation-driven effects.
  • Translate concepts, prototypes, gameplay needs, and rough ideas into clear, polished in-engine effects and motion.
  • Optimize visual effects and animations for mobile while balancing visual ambition with performance, memory, readability, and production constraints.
  • Identify visual, technical, and workflow bottlenecks in the pipeline and propose practical solutions.
  • Collaborate with technical art and engineering on shaders, tools, profiling, and runtime performance.
  • Own a feature’s visual effects and motion from start to finish, including shaping the idea, exploring visual direction, implementing it in Unity, polishing it, and keeping stakeholders informed and aligned.
Desired Qualifications
  • Ability to explain creative and technical choices clearly, take feedback well, and help the team make better visual decisions.

About the company

Z

Zynga

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cbWebsite

Zynga creates social mobile and web games such as FarmVille, Words With Friends, and CSR Racing. It focuses on casual gamers who want easy-to-access games that can be played in short sessions. The games use a freemium model: they are free to download and play, with in-game purchases that enhance gameplay and integrated advertising. Social features let players interact with friends and other players, which helps drive engagement and retention. Zynga differentiates itself by emphasizing social interactions inside games, a large library of popular casual titles, and revenue from both in-game purchases and ads, along with strategic partnerships (e.g., Amazon Prime) and involvement in education and social initiatives. The company’s goal is to grow a broad, engaged mobile gaming community while monetizing through freemium purchases and advertising, and to broaden its influence through partnerships and social impact initiatives.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2007

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Take-Two reported FY2026 mobile net bookings of $3.3 billion, up 15%.
  • Zynga Ads+ launched September 21, 2026, expanding advertiser demand beyond gameplay revenue.
  • Top Eleven 2027 and Roshn Saudi League content kept flagship engagement fresh in September 2026.

What critics are saying

  • September 2026 Apple casino-style-games litigation threatens Zynga’s social-casino distribution and ad monetization.
  • August 21, 2026 copyright suits against Flow Games show clones attack Zynga’s hit franchises.
  • Zynga depends on a few live-service winners; one retention break hits Take-Two’s mobile earnings.

What makes Zynga unique

  • Zynga Ads+ combines 100 casual games and 100 million monthly consumers, boosting brand reach.
  • Top Eleven 2027 adds legend-driven depth, showing Zynga’s licensed-sports live-ops strength.
  • FY2026 mobile products shipped across 175 countries and exceeded 10 billion downloads.

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Benefits

  • Compensation - Competitive salary, performance bonuses, opportunities for equity participation, retirement/pension savings support programs
  • Health - Medical, Dental, Vision covered for employees with participation for employees eligible dependents as well as Disability and life insurance program
  • Family - Generous parental leave for birth parents, partners and adoptive families. Infertility support, emergency child care and flexible time-off policies
  • Wellness - Gym benefits, wellness programs, employee assistance programs and generous time-off policies
  • Food - Food and snacks made in-house or delivered, healthy snack kitchens with drinks and treats, coffee bars, regular social gatherings and happy hours
  • Work & Life - Flexible time-off policies (DTO), office rest areas, gaming spaces, employee discounts and more
  • Transit Benefits - Shuttle service in select locations, commuter/parking benefits, secure bicycle storage, business travel assistance
  • Resource Groups - Women at Zynga (WAZ), zCares charitable giving, zParents, zEndurance adventure club, BZU, zPride LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-5%

2 year growth

0%
GamesBeat
Oct 15th, 2026
Zynga teams with Blue Cross for FarmVille 2: Country Escape animal welfare charity campaign.

Zynga teams with Blue Cross for FarmVille 2: Country Escape animal welfare charity campaign. * by Sam Smith * October 15, 2026 * 1 min Join independent journalists and industry decision-makers at GamesBeat NEXT, returning to San Francisco November 2-3. The event brings together 500 executives, founders, investors and tech leaders shaping the $200 billion interactive economy for candid discussions on gaming, entertainment, technology and AI, plus executive networking and opportunities to build partnerships and close major deals. Zynga has announced it will be collaborating with UK pet charity Blue Cross to launch a new in-game event in FarmVille 2: Country Escape. Beginning today and running through November 10, 2026, in the lead-up to Guinea Pig Awareness Week (October 26-30), the Pet Pals event tasks players with caring for their guinea pigs by unlocking tasty nibbles to feed and level up their fluffy friends. Players can earn nibbles by completing different tasks and challenges on their farm, including crafting, foraging and obtaining keys. "FarmVille 2: Country Escape has always been about community, compassion and a deep love for animals," said Ratheesh Mallaya, general manager, FarmVille 2: Country Escape, in a press release. "Farmers aren't afraid of rolling up their sleeves for a worthy cause, and this event proves once again that we're always stronger together. By bringing that determination to the Pet Pals event, the player community can help Zynga work towards its goal of making a real-world difference for animals in need, one nibble at a time." Players will be able to unlock in-game rewards as they hit feeding milestones, but each nibble fed to guinea pigs in the Pet Pals event will collectively contribute towards Zynga's goal of making a Blue Cross donation in real life. Players will work together to power up a global progress bar, and if the donation goal is met, a donation will be made by Zynga to Blue Cross and used to fund pet welfare initiatives including veterinary care, rehoming and pet food banks. "We are delighted to team up with Zynga for this Pet Pals event. We hope that gamers enjoy playing with the knowledge they are working towards helping real-life small pets in the care of Blue Cross," said Mary Haisman, head of corporate partnerships at Blue Cross, said in the same press release.

Intergalactic Herald
Oct 3rd, 2026
Star Atlas weekly newsletter #237.

Star Atlas weekly newsletter #237. Stream Daily News Welcome to the Star Atlas weekly recap from the Intergalactic Herald. Below is what happened with Star Atlas this past week. The video and article summaries below are AI generated so they may not be 100% accurate. Discover more Find Media Degrees In this week's newsletter updates, ATMTA shared concrete mainnet pacing targets for SAGE C4's Council Rank progression during Atlas Brew #223. Reaching the maximum rank is projected to take roughly six months for players who consistently hit the daily XP soft cap, or approximately one year on average, while new players can expect to reach levels 3 through 5 within seven to ten days alongside carryover Starbased XP. Additional C4 refinements include day-one access for Tier 1 Claim Stakes at Central Space Stations, dedicated scanning charges replacing toolkits, and PvP rewards granting fleet-fitted cargo loot alongside medallions redeemable 1:1 for ATLAS. On the team front, VP of Game Economy Chris has officially resigned after years of steering economic modeling, with CEO Michael linking the departure to extended team-wide salary reductions. Finally, governance voting on PIP-36 - which requests 13,992,734 ATLAS to develop a public Star Atlas DAO Dashboard - saw a sharp surge to 45.9% approval with approximately 70 million PVP committed before voting closes on Friday, October 2nd. Boost SEO Traffic STAR ATLAS - Atlas Brew 224 - September 30, 2026 from Intergalactic Herald - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyfpBtGUmyA In the latest installment of the community's primary discussion forum, Atlas Brew #224 aired on September 30, 2026, marking a significant milestone in the project's long-term commitment to transparent development and community alignment. Hosted and summarized by the Intergalactic Herald, this session served as a critical end-of-quarter touchpoint, providing the latest updates on the Star Atlas ecosystem as the project transitions into the final months of 2026. While the broadcast primarily serves as a weekly pillar for the #WeAreStarAtlas movement, it continues to be the definitive venue for disseminating actionable information regarding roadmap milestones, economic shifts, and technical improvements within the Unreal Engine 5 environment. Community members are reminded to rely on these verified sessions for confirmed development data, effectively distinguishing official milestones from general market speculation. As Star Atlas maintains its trajectory toward expansive galactic colonization, Episode 224 reinforces the project's consistency and the vital role of the weekly Brew in ensuring all pilots, governors, and stakeholders remain informed and mission-ready as the ecosystem evolves. This session emphasizes the ongoing call-to-action for community members to stay engaged with DAO governance and upcoming community-led events. Discover more Set Up Email Stream Pop Culture In a notable development for the ecosystem, former Star Atlas Game Economist Christopher Kaczmarczyk-Smith has officially announced his departure from the team to take on a new role as Principal Game Economist at Zynga. Reflecting on his tenure in a recent Substack publication titled "Good Bye Star Atlas!", Chris credited the passionate player base for keeping the ecosystem resilient through tumultuous market cycles. He highlighted major community milestones from his time with the project, including key gatherings at Solana Breakpoint 2023 in Amsterdam and delivering an economy-focused presentation at Breakpoint 2024 in Singapore during the team's largest in-person event to date. Crucially for economy enthusiasts, Chris was the driving force behind establishing the regular Star Atlas Economic Forum in 2023, which fostered transparent, data-driven discussions between developers and players regarding circular virtual mechanics. While he transitions away from modeling the Star Atlas economy to pursue his new corporate venture, his collaborative efforts leave a lasting structural benchmark on developer-player transparency and feedback loops across the metaverse. Stream Daily News I am looking for guests to be on the podcast. The podcast is a discussion of the past week's news about Star Atlas. If you are interested in being on the podcast, please contact me. I am launching a Star Atlas merch store. Please check it out at Intergalactic Gear. I am also creating a "non-guild" guild. If you are interested in learning more, please go to Intergalactic Coalition. Discover more Browse Magazines Star Atlas Week in Review Podcast - Audio podcast where I break down everything that happened in Star Atlas the past week plus my analysis on what it all means. https://intergalacticherald.com/podcast/ Star Atlas Event Recap - AI audio summary covering all the key moments from Star Atlas community events. https://intergalacticherald.com/podcast/star-atlas-event-recaps/ Star Atlas Discord News Feed Newsletter - Star Atlas Discord announcements send directly to your email so you never miss out on updates from the Star Atlas team. https://intergalacticherald.com/star-atlas-discord-news-feed/ Stream Podcasts If you would like to support my efforts, donations can be sent to intergalacticherald.sol Latest podcast.

Steel Media Ltd
Sep 21st, 2026
Zynga Ads+ brings 100 mobile games to advertising offering.

Zynga Ads+ brings 100 mobile games to advertising offering. The company calls it a "Game Path Optimisation" approach September 21, 2026 * Zynga Ads+ brings 100 leading casual mobile games into Zynga's advertising offering. * The offering expands Zynga's combined reach to more than 100m monthly consumers. * Zynga is using its "Game Path Optimisation" approach to curate high-quality and brand-safe mobile gaming environments. Zynga has revealed Zynga Ads+, a new advertising offering to help brands and agencies navigate the mobile gaming ecosystem by bringing 100 leading casual mobile games into its portfolio. The company said the expansion, unveiled during IAB PlayFronts, increases its combined reach to more than 100 million monthly consumers. The offering is built around what Zynga calls "Game Path Optimisation", which focuses on curating high-quality gaming environments for advertisers based on attention, engagement and brand safety. Mobile gaming reach The Take-Two subsidiary said there are nearly 500,000 games available on the US App Store, but only one in four has a user rating of 4.5 or higher, making it challenging for advertisers to identify high-quality gaming environments at scale. Zynga Ads+ aims to address this by bringing selected casual mobile games into its advertising offering. The publisher said the product will give brands and agencies access to high-attention mobile gaming environments. The company plans to provide more details about Zynga Ads+ at its IAB Brand Academy on October 21st.

Smarti Media
Sep 10th, 2026
Ramsey Bolton could return in game of Thrones: Legends.

Ramsey Bolton could return in game of Thrones: Legends. Game of Thrones: Legends introduces The Way of Whispers - a Bolton-themed faction - and a major faction overhaul that could pave the way for Ramsey Bolton's arrival, plus balance tweaks and new legendary heroes. Ask a longtime reader of A Song of Ice and Fire about Ramsey Bolton and you'll get a different image than the one TV viewers remember. Iwan Rheon's Ramsey carried a chilling, almost magnetic menace on screen. In the books, though, the character is rougher, less polished, and feral - an unpredictable force who makes even his father, Roose Bolton, uneasy. Video Games That divergence between page and screen is part of what keeps Ramsey so compelling. He's still alive in George R.R. Martin's novels, and the infamous pink letter - one of the story's strangest clues - remains unresolved. Could Ramsey play a key role in Winds of Winter? Many fans hope so. Could he show up somewhere unexpected before the next book drops? Game of Thrones: Legends might be offering an early hint. With its latest patch, Legends rolled out a major rethink of faction design. The centerpiece is a new faction called The Way of Whispers, built around Bolton-style tactics: bleed effects, evasive play, and letting enemies die from their own wounds. It's a clever mechanical nod to the Boltons' cruelty - brutal, quiet, and surgical. Discover more Controller Gaming Controllers Android OS Oddly, no Bolton heroes are in the faction yet. But the groundwork is there. The Way of Whispers currently includes characters whose kits lean into bleeding and deception: Aemond Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, Osha, Petyr Baelish, and Tyrion Lannister with his Casterly Rock title. That roster choice signals Zynga is thinking thematically rather than strictly by family name, and it leaves a clear opening for Ramsey or Roose to appear later as true Bolton archetypes. The faction overhaul stretches beyond one new group. Zynga also unveiled Sun's Dominion, expanded Free Folk into Beyond the Wall, rebranded Greyjoys as Lords of the Tide, and folded the Brotherhood Without Banners into a broader Scattered Banners faction. On top of that, the update adds 17 legendary heroes who can belong to two factions at once - dramatically increasing team-building permutations without stripping any hero of their original identity. Balance changes accompany the structural shift. Stacking multiple faction bonuses on a single team will now suffer diminishing returns, a deliberate move to prevent multi-faction teams from becoming unassailable. Faction perks are being standardized so no single faction hogs an outsized edge. And three new stats - Gem Resistance, Critical Hit Resistance, and Endurance - arrive to flesh out defensive options. Damage interactions from gems, poison, and some defensive abilities are getting tuned too. Discover more Company News Web Apps & Online Tools Why does any of this matter outside the game? For players who've long complained about a thin champion pool and a lack of iconic characters, the redesign promises real depth. It's not just more heroes; it's about meaningful choices when you draft a team. Suddenly, smaller, theme-tight factions can be viable strategies instead of afterthoughts. The update is slated to land later this month. Whether Ramsey will emerge from the wings remains uncertain. But with a faction explicitly channeling Bolton tactics now in the codebase, his return - either as a hero card or as a narrative tease - feels less like wishful thinking and more like a deliberate open door for storytellers and players alike. Game worlds borrow from books. Sometimes they rewrite them. And sometimes they create a third lane where both can surprise you. Video Games

Nordeus
Sep 4th, 2026
Golf Rival debuts sweeping "Evolve" Update, introducing dynamic wind conditions, Club Mods and new challenges.

Golf Rival debuts sweeping "Evolve" Update, introducing dynamic wind conditions, Club Mods and new challenges. Product Marketing Manager Get ready to hit the fairway with a whole new level of strategy as Nordeus rolls out the massive 'Evolve' update for its hit mobile golf game, Golf Rival. Available now, this major release introduces the largest and most versatile set of features ever brought to Golf Rival in a single launch. Whether a seasoned pro aiming to top the leaderboards or a casual player looking for a fresh challenge, golfers will find plenty of exciting action waiting on the green. The 'Evolve' update introduces course conditions, kicking off with unpredictable real-time wind Gusts that dynamically alter ball movements mid-flight, making every round unique and ensuring that even holes played a hundred times before now present a thrilling new puzzle to solve. To help golfers adapt to these shifting conditions, Golf Rival is also introducing Club Mods, a powerful system designed to reshape how players approach their gear. Rather than searching for brand new items, the Evolve update is built around breathing fresh life into the golf clubs users already own and love. Club Mods allow for the upgrading and fine-tuning of players' favorite existing clubs to fit specific playstyles and strategies, a true game-changer that ensures players' golf bags play a bigger role than ever before. Golfers will need to utilize the exact tools needed to outsmart the weather and outplay the competition. The excitement doesn't end on the course itself, though. The update also brings another new seasonal offer providing players additional opportunities to earn rewards. It's time to tee off and test your mettle. Nordeus'll see you on the green!