VOL · 02№ 0152026
Principal Gameplay Animator
VOL · 02 / 2026 · QUARTERLY

For nearly 20 years,
I've animated the characters
players fight, follow, protect, and remember.

Nine shipped Call of Duty titles at Infinity Ward, now at Tencent — specializing in gameplay animation, NPC animation systems, and mocap direction.

Director
Lei YangPrincipal Gameplay Animator
Studio
TencentPreviously Infinity Ward
Filmography
9 titlesCall of Duty franchise
Locale
Los AngelesCalifornia · USA
§ 02
A dossier

The animator

My work lives where animation, design, and engineering meet — turning performance, systems, and gameplay needs into characters that feel alive in the player's hands.

Now I'm exploring how AI tools can push that work even further: faster prototyping, smarter workflows, and new ways to build believable interactive characters.

Currently
Principal Gameplay AnimatorTencent
Previously
Lead AI AnimatorInfinity Ward · Modern Warfare II & III
Shipped titles
  • Call of Duty 2 · 2005
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare · 2007
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 · 2009
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 · 2011
  • Call of Duty: Ghosts · 2013
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare · 2014
  • Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare · 2016
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II · 2022
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III · 2023
Specialties
Gameplay animNPC systemsMocap directionPipelineAI / ML R&D
Stack
MayaMEL scriptingMotionBuilderGame engines