At ArenaNet, we’ve always believed that games are art. They have the power to communicate ideas and tell stories. They can change the way we think, reflect our cultures, and move us. As the developer of the award-winning Guild Wars game series, we’re proud to share our passion for the online worlds we’ve created with over 11 million players worldwide.
ArenaNet develops and publishes games for every kind of person, which means our games need to be built by every kind of person. We believe the best experiences come from working together, celebrating differences, and helping each of our team members shine.
As a Senior Character Artist, you will be instrumental in shaping the artistic vision for our game by helping to define the look and quality of our characters within a semi-stylized visual direction. Reporting to the Art Manager and working closely with the Character Lead, you’ll take direction and collaborate to ensure the integrity of all character-related assets. This role is ideal for a self-starter with a passion for character art, someone ready to help develop new pipelines and contribute to character customization, including both human and non-human characters.
Your experience will help answer critical creative questions: How do characters look and move in our world? How do we create diverse and inclusive customization options that resonate with players? You’ll also play a part in ensuring that character creation aligns with gameplay progression and aesthetic customization.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Collaborate with the Character Lead and Art Director to establish and maintain the game’s character style and quality standards.
- Develop models, textures, and PBR materials for characters, clothing, armor, and weapons, with a strong focus on customization and anatomical modeling.
- Ensure character assets maintain consistency and meet the high-quality bar throughout development.
- Contribute to the development of innovative character creation systems, with an emphasis on diversity and customization, including non-human characters.
- Work closely with Tech Art and Engineering to ensure assets are optimized and meet performance constraints within the engine.
- Assist in building and refining character pipelines, including developing best practices for next-gen character asset creation.
- Participate in team playtests and discussions to support the holistic development of the game.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL
- 5+ years of industry experience with at least one title shipped in a Senior Character Artist role or equivalent.
- Experience in both armor/clothing and anatomical modeling.
- Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to take direction from leads while maintaining autonomy in execution.
- A positive attitude and adaptable temperament, with excellent communication skills and the ability to work across departments.
- Familiarity with next-gen pipelines and a willingness to tackle new technical challenges and workflows.
- Solid understanding of anatomy, shape language, silhouette, color theory, and material definition.
- Experience creating character topology for rigging and animation and a working knowledge of rigging workflows and techniques.
- Proficiency with Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Substance Painter/Designer.
- Strong experience with Unreal Engine and familiarity with modern game engines.
- Familiarity with semi-stylized character workflows and techniques in AAA game development.
This is a hybrid position based out of our Bellevue, WA office.
Please note that the pay range listed in this job posting reflects the full salary range for this position. While we provide this range to offer transparency, our target hiring range typically falls between the minimum and the midpoint, allowing for growth potential within the role.
Total compensation is salary plus an annual bonus potential. When determining an offer amount, many things are taken into consideration such as qualifications, experience, internal equity and work location. We strive to provide competitive and equitable compensation packages to all our employees.
This role is also eligible for medical, dental, vision and life insurance, short and long term disability, 401(k), flexible and dependent care spending accounts, PTO, paid holidays and parental leave.
Don’t meet every single requirement on this job post? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ArenaNet, we believe diversity in culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and backgrounds make us a better team – we celebrate it. So, if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
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