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Lead Character Artist - d3t

Lead Character Artist

d3t and Coconut Lizard are at the cutting edge of technology and creativity, delivering co-development video game services to our global triple-A clients. Our successful studios are continuing to grow and we are looking for a Lead Character Artist to join the expanding Art Team. Our studios, part of the Keywords Studios Group, work on multiple exciting projects at any one time offering plenty of variety and involvement.

We have been established over 13 years and our studio projects have included Hogwart’s Legacy, Vampire: The Masquerade - Blood Hunt, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Alan Wake Remastered, Mafia II: Definitive Edition and EA Sports FC24.

Our studios are based near Daresbury, Cheshire and Gateshead, Tyne and Wear where we offer an amazingly professional, fun and supportive working environment. We are very passionate about what we do and pride ourselves on our inclusive mentality, mentoring ethos and have been awarded 'Best Places to Work’ multiple times by gamesindustry.biz including 2021, 2022 and 2023. In addition, we won ‘Best Creative Service Provider‘ at Develop 2022 and were nominated in 2023.

The Role

The Lead Character Artist will play a key role in our growing Character Team. It its very much a hands-on role, creating beautiful Characters for our projects whilst also working together with the other d3t Character Artists, inspiring and motivating one another to create world class Characters. We work with very high-profile clients on amazing game titles and so the quality of the Character Art is critical to satisfying and retaining their loyalty.

Responsibilities

• Lead d3t's talented Character Art team in creating high quality characters and creatures in a variety of styles.
• Collaborate with art directors and concept artists in setting visual and technical benchmarks, ensuring accuracy and fidelity to the original aesthetic vision.
• Instigate regular reviews of artwork across the character art team and provide clear, concise feedback to ensure high quality and creative cohesion.
• Work closely with animators and technical artists to ensure seamless integration of characters into the game engine and work with production to help to establish priority of work and help schedule and monitor the character art workload.
• Communicate regularly with the client's art team, building relationships and assisting them in achieving their goals.
• Champion streamlined processes, working with tech artists to improve workflows and shaders and support the team with resolving technical issues.
• Ensure that the Character team is following any submission rules, including updating Jira tickets, following naming conventions etc.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices, researching new tools and techniques to enhance our character art pipeline.
• Create documentation on various subjects including style, technical and onboarding guides.
• Carry out inductions and probationary reviews for new starters. Provide feedback to the art leadership regarding employee performance for all team members.
• Mentor the character art team, nurturing them to encourage their continued growth and demonstrate a willingness to keep learning and a passion for sharing that knowledge.
• Demonstrate good leadership skills of positivity, enthusiasm, leading by example & active listening.

Requirements

Essential Skills

• Strong modelling and texturing/surfacing skills.
• Versatility and the ability to adapt to different requirements and styles.
• Proficiency in industry-standard software such as ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, and Adobe Photoshop as well as at least one major game engine such as Unreal Engine.
• Excellent understanding of anatomy, form, and proportion, with the ability to create compelling human characters and creatures.
• Up-to-date knowledge of a modern character art pipeline and a strong understanding of optimisation for games.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with experience leading a team of artists.

Desirable Skills

• At least 6 years of experience as a character artist in the video game industry, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality character assets for AAA titles.
• At least four published titles.
• At least two full project cycles in a Senior Character Art position.
• An appreciation for the artistry behind creating memorable games characters.

Benefits

Benefits & Perks – some of the many offered by our studio alongside a great work environment:

· 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays + up to 5 days extra for length of service)

· Company Pension Scheme

· Flexible working hours

· Private Medical and Dental Insurance Scheme & Eye Care Scheme

· Employee Share Scheme

· Anti-crunch ethos - an amazingly professional, fun and supportive working environment!

· Income Protection & Life Assurance

· Annual Bonus – be rewarded for great teamwork!

· Free Parking

· Game Vouchers

· Tech and Bike Scheme

· Company Socials and Funded Clubs, Monthly Studio Lunches, Project Launch/Wrap Parties + Annual d3t Events

· Breakout Areas – filled with perks such as games, BBQ area, complimentary snacks to suit all dietary preferences etc.

We offer a flexible working policy – the role can be hybrid, remote (UK based only) or studio based at either of our studio sites - d3t (Runcorn, Cheshire) or Coconut Lizard (Gateshead, Tyne & Wear).

Internal Use -

Role Information: EN

Studio: d3t

Location: Europe, UK, Runcorn

Area of Work: Game Development

Service: Create

Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent

Working Pattern: Hybrid, Remote, In-Office