Description

Digital Extremes is searching for a talented Senior Level Artist to join our team! In this role, you'll work closely with the Creative Director, Art Director, Level Design team, and Environment Art team to shape and execute the artistic and gameplay vision of our project. You'll ensure each level meets our visual and technical goals while perfectly balancing design needs and creative direction.

As a Senior Level Artist, you'll champion the artistic integrity of your levels from start to finish, collaborating cross-functionally with various departments. Practical experience in other areas of game development is a plus.

You'll also mentor junior Level Artists, offering guidance to help them grow professionally and artistically. Additionally, you may assist with scheduling and team coordination, ensuring production aligns with key narrative and delivery milestones. A strong understanding of both your individual contributions and the broader project vision is essential for success in this role.

We're looking for someone with genuine enthusiasm for video games and strong communication skills. A portfolio is required that demonstrates your expertise in composition, color theory, architecture, and storytelling, as well as your ability to explain the artistic and gameplay intent behind your work.

Responsibilities

• Define Art Direction: Follow and, when appropriate, help define the art direction in collaboration with the Creative Director and Art Director.
• Level Ownership: Take ownership of entire levels from initial concept to final polish, ensuring both artistic vision and gameplay needs are met.
• Guide Strike Teams: Guide and collaborate with strike teams—small cross-functional groups—providing creative and production leadership to ensure goals are met on time and at quality.
• Balance Gameplay & Visuals: Work closely with Level Design to balance gameplay mechanics and visual storytelling, ensuring a seamless player experience.
• Design Dynamic Environments: Use analytical thinking and defined art sets, props, visual FX, and lighting techniques to design visually dynamic and technically efficient environments that support the level’s narrative and gameplay goals.
• Create High-Level Compositions: Create high-level compositions and proxy models using both 2D and 3D art skills.
• Mentor & Review: Provide mentorship to junior artists and assist with peer reviews, offering actionable feedback to elevate the quality of work across the team.
• Collaborate on Integration: Collaborate with engineers and designers to ensure optimal integration of assets into the game engine.
• Evaluate & Improve: Evaluate and improve visual and gameplay aspects of each level through tuning, bug fixing, and playtesting.
• Contribute Innovation: Contribute innovative and original ideas toward all aspects of the game’s production and development.
• Coordinate Tasks: Help coordinate tasks and priorities within the level art team to support milestone planning and ensure delivery.
• Participate in Feedback: Participate in feedback loops, giving and receiving critique constructively within the art and design teams.
• Maintain Project Alignment: Stay engaged with the broader project scope to maintain alignment with narrative, design, and technical goals.

Requirements

• Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience as a Level Artist, with proven success delivering high-quality game environments.
• Ownership & Guidance: Demonstrated ability to take ownership of full-level production and to guide others through the process, ideally in a strike team or multidisciplinary group setting.
• Game Engine Fundamentals: Strong understanding of game engine fundamentals, including performance optimization, streaming, and asset integration workflows.
• Portfolio: A portfolio showcasing a diverse range of environments and an ability to tell compelling visual stories through composition, staging, and lighting.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Effective mentorship and leadership skills; able to support junior artists and collaborate across departments.
• Adaptability: Quick to adapt to new software and pipelines, including proprietary engines.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate both artistic and technical goals.
• Passion: A passion for video games, with a deep appreciation for how environment art contributes to player immersion and gameplay.

Skills and competencies show up in different forms and can be based on different experiences, so we strongly encourage you to apply even if you don't have all the requirements listed above.