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Lead Environment Artist

Welcome to Maxis, home to tinkerers, craftspeople, & storytellers. Our drive is to inspire everyone to make a better world through creative play. As the developer of the Sims, we create games and experiences for millions of people around the world and are always looking for new ways to inspire our players. Maxis is a place where you can do what you love and help others grow while doing it; a place where your unique voice can be heard and seen. We put creativity and inclusivity at the core of our work and don’t settle for seeing the world only as it is, but strive to build a world as it could be. Read on to see how you can join our team and dream big.

You will report to the Development Director.

Job Summary

Location: Remote North America - open to most North America locations

As a Lead Environment Artist with Maxis, you will create 3D environments for the Sims to live in. We are gearing up for our next big production and we need an Unreal-capable Environment Artist to make it shine. If you're passionate about creating fresh and original art using the latest technology, come join our diverse team of experts.

Key Responsibilities

• Be the main contact for other disciplines on Environment Art matters
• Partner with Art Directors and Producers to define craft expectations and development standards
• Uphold best practices to maintain craft quality and consistency across titles by providing teammates and partners with technical breakdowns, process guidance, and aesthetic support for Content Leads and Directors
• Provide guidance to Content Leads and Producers for content delivery
• Work with the Art Director and Designer to guide the team in creating 3D environments in Unreal based on visual, technical and gameplay requirements
• Oversee areas of project prototyping and R&D efforts
• Oversee the look development of 3d assets and materials in collaboration with Tech Artists
• Maintain documentation for discipline knowledge
• Participate in team discussions, reviews and planning
• Anticipate and communicate production risks and offer mitigation strategies
• Mentor the environment artists

Qualifications :

• 5+ years experience developing games as an environment artist
• Experience leading a team
• Experience working on console, PC, or mobile games
• Experience with Unreal
• In-depth knowledge of level creation, with some experience with terrain, scripting, PBR Materials, performance optimization, and level management
• Experience with scene composition, set dressing, navigation routing, materials, and lighting
• Experience with digitally sculpt and texture 3d assets
• Experience balancing art quality and performance optimizations
• A love of video games
• Occasionally act as an Individual Contributor to solve challenging problems or set the quality bar

Portfolio

Please provide examples of digital art you’ve created, along with matching descriptions of what you did in the scene. Don’t be shy of including early prototypes and unfinished work.