Harebrained Schemes is looking for an experienced and versatile Character Artist to spearhead our character creation process on an unannounced project. You’ll collaborate with the Art Director, Concept Artists and HBS Team to create an iconic cast of heroes and villains.
If you are a thoughtful collaborator, with a deep understanding of—and appreciation for—player experiences across a variety of game genres and audiences, we’d love to talk with you.
This is a full-time, on-site position at Harebrained Schemes’ offices in Kirkland, Washington.
(Please note that we are currently working from home due to Covid-19. We will return to the office in stages when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, all interviews will be done virtually.)
What You’ll Do
- Model and texture game-ready characters for use in a modular system.
- Iterate on work based on feedback and direction from the Art Director, and other members of the team.
- Ensure visual consistency and quality of created assets.
- Communicate effectively and proactively with other team members
- Understand texture and polycount budgets and work within those constraints.
- Collaborate with Technical Artists to rig and skin characters, and troubleshoot issues with how characters look, move, and play in-game.
- Give clear to a small team of external character artists.
What You’ll Bring
- You’ve worked on a variety of projects - big or small, indie or 1st party, PC or console or mobile, licensed or new IP, etc. - to understand the breadth of issues you have to anticipate and know that every project is different
- The ability to turn provided concept art into 3d models that are both beautiful and efficient.
- Experience with high to low poly and texture-baking workflows.
- Experience with ZBrush (or equivalent) and Maya (or equivalent) for the modeling of performant, game-ready 3D characters.
- Experience with texture creation for physically based render engines (PBR) using Substance Painter, Designer, Photoshop or equivalent.
- The ability to both hand paint and photo source textures in Photoshop, Substance Painter or Equivalent.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Adept at both giving and receiving constructive feedback in a very collaborative and iterative environment.
- A track record of creatively solving problems under technical and design constraints.
- Experience using technical game development tools (such as source control and Unity.)
- Ability to perform well under pressure and deliver work in a timely manner.
- Strong foundational art skills, including anatomy, shape, color, and great visual research and reference skills.
Nice to Haves
- Experience working with modular character creation systems.
- Experience creating facial blend shapes.
- Experience giving feedback to external vendors through writing and paint overs.
- The ability to create concepts for characters when needed.
- Experience modeling for NPR rendering pipelines.
Employment Eligibility Requirement
Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and not require Visa sponsorship to be eligible.
What to Expect at HBS
All HBS employees
- Contribute respectfully with empathy, emotional intelligence and self-awareness
- Can work collaboratively in a team as well as independently
- Are able to be self-directed in their work and learning
- Bring a growth mindset to the work they do
Working at HBS Means:
- Work-life balance: a work family that doesn’t replace your family-family
- Flexible workday hours and work-from-home opportunities
- Time off when you need it: a wellness-first and family-first mindset
- High transparency and easy access to studio leadership
HBS Benefits:
- Generous medical, dental, vision, EAP, FSA, and both short & long-term disability
- Paid vacation time
- Paid sick time
- Paid holidays including the week between Christmas and New Years Day
- Matching 401(k) program
- Annual profit-sharing from Paradox Interactive
- Easy access off I-405 and free parking
- Skilled, passionate, and fun co-workers
- Pet-friendly office
You should apply to work at HBS if you want to:
- Make amazing game experiences with co-workers who are just as passionate about their craft as you are
- Be part of a project where everyone has a significant impact
- Join a warm, inclusive and diverse team, with a respectful and collaborative culture
- Evolve and learn with us in a growth-mindset environment