Lead Artist

 
 

Full Time - Remote

Awe Interactive is an independent and innovative game development studio focused on creating unique, immersive, and engaging narrative-driven FPS RPGs. Our tight knit and experienced team of developers, designers, and artists share a passion for storytelling, game mechanics, and creating unforgettable gaming experiences. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of gameplay and visual storytelling, delivering unique and engaging experiences to our players. Our mission is to create feelings of Awe for our players.

We are currently seeking an experienced and talented Lead Artist to join our team and work on an exciting narrative first-person shooter role-playing game using Unreal Engine 5. The Lead Artist will be responsible for managing a team of artists, working with our Art Director to set the artistic vision of the project, and ensuring its successful execution.

Responsibilities:

  • The ability to come aboard an indie narrative fps rpg, cut through the noise, dissect the work and organise a plan to deliver great quality photoreal 3D art in an organised way. While always holding to our games unique retro-futuristic aesthetic. 

  • Define and establish the artistic vision and in-engine visual style of the game, ensuring consistency and high-quality output across all assets.

  • Lead, manage, and mentor a small team of artists, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and fostering a positive and creative work environment.

  • Supervise both 2D and 3D.

  • Collaborate closely with the Game Director, Art Director, Designers, and Programmers to create visually stunning and immersive game environments, characters, and assets.

  • Utilise Unreal Engine 5's advanced features and capabilities to deliver cutting-edge visuals and optimised performance.

  • Create visual prototypes and vignettes to effectively communicate ideas and concepts to the team.

  • Develop and maintain art production pipelines, processes, and documentation to ensure efficient asset creation and implementation.

  • Review and provide feedback on the team's work, ensuring assets meet quality standards and align with the artistic vision and technical requirements of the project.

  • Stay up-to-date with industry trends, techniques, and best practices to continuously improve the team's skill set and the game's visual quality.

  • Work closely with the Technical Artists to enable powerful procedural production pipelines.

Requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree in Art, Design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

  • At least 5 years of experience in the game industry, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior artist role.

  • Expertise in Unreal Engine 5, including experience with its features, workflows, and optimization techniques.

  • Strong understanding of art fundamentals, such as colour theory, composition, lighting, and visual storytelling.

  • Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively manage and mentor a diverse team of artists.

  • Highly proficient in industry-standard tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Blender, or ZBrush.

  • A strong portfolio demonstrating a wide range of high-quality game art, including environments, characters, and props.

  • Passion for video games and a deep understanding of game development processes and pipelines.

Nice-to-Have:

  • Proven experience working on FPS or RPG titles, preferably in a narrative-driven context.

  • Knowledge of scripting languages (e.g. Blueprint, Python, etc).

  • Experience with procedural content creation tools, such as Substance Designer, Houdini, Unreal PCG, or World Machine.

  • Experience with Nanite & Lumen.