Art Director - Emirati Cultural Game

E-Line Media; Abu Dhabi; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

E-Line Media is seeking an Art Director for an upcoming game inspired by Emirati culture. The role involves establishing a unique visual identity and collaborating with Emirati artists to create an engaging experience that resonates globally. This position offers a chance to influence game design significantly while honoring the rich cultural heritage of the UAE.

Benefits

Full medical benefits

Matching 401(k)

Paid paternity/maternity leave

Vacation and holiday pay

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• 8+ years in art direction or as a lead artist.
• Strong portfolio showcasing unique, culturally inspired art direction.
• Proven ability to build and mentor creative teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and develop a unique art style inspired by Emirati culture.
• Build a small, distributed team and mentor local artists.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to align art and storytelling.

Skills

Art Direction

Team Management

Collaboration

Unreal Engine

Cultural Integration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Shaders

Lighting

Job description

About E-Line Media:

E-Line Media is a developer and publisher of video games with meaningful themes and authentic voices. Founded in 2008, the company's mission is to develop games that fire the imagination, catalyze curiosity, and provide gateways to new perspectives and interests.

The Company is a mission-driven, for-profit enterprise whose investors seek market-level financial returns and positive social impact. Its titles include the BAFTA and Peabody award-winning Never Alone , the Jackson-Wild-winning Beyond Blue , Gamestar Mechanic, and MinecraftEDU .

The Emirati Cultural Game will be a project similar to E-Line's Never Alone, which was developed inclusively with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), a pioneering Alaska Native organization. Never Alone's goal was to share, celebrate, and extend Alaska Native culture with a global audience. The game is based on a story passed down for thousands of years, is in the Inupiaq language, and features 24 ‘cultural insight' mini-documentaries unlocked through gameplay, inviting players to connect deeply with Alaska Native heritage and tradition.

The game has resonated worldwide, reaching over 15 million players. It has been featured in thousands of articles, won numerous awards, and is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Websites

• Never Alone website: http://neveralonegame.com
• Short New Yorker film about the 'inclusive development' process for Never Alone: https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-new-yorker-presents-never-alone
• Powerful review of Never Alone by a Native American game critic: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-11-20-never-alone
• E-Line Media Website: https://elinemedia.com/

About the Project:

We are embarking on an exciting journey to create a video game inspired by Emirati culture, featuring compelling gameplay and an authentic narrative. Our goal is to create an experience that resonates with both global and local players while honoring the cultural heritage and traditions of the UAE. We are bringing together experienced game developers alongside Emirati artists, storytellers, and cultural partners to create a commercially successful, engaging experience for audiences worldwide on PC and consoles.

About the Position:

We are looking for a visionary Art Director to establish the game’s unique visual identity. This is an opportunity to create a distinctive aesthetic inspired by Emirati culture, blending authenticity with a modern indie-game sensibility. As the Art Director, you will collaborate closely with our Emirati artists, cultural partners, and storytelling team to ensure that the game’s visuals reflect the beauty, richness, and traditions of the UAE.

You will also play a crucial role in defining an efficient art pipeline that utilizes Unreal Engine's tools and workflows, while keeping the project within scope and budget.

This is a hands-on leadership position in which you will build and mentor a small, globally distributed art team, guiding them in developing a cohesive and visually striking world that enhances the gameplay experience. A unique opportunity for someone based in the region or open to relocating or traveling to Abu Dhabi during development to immerse themselves in the local stories, landscapes, and traditions.

As our Art Director, you will be responsible for …

• Visual Direction: Define and develop a unique art style inspired by Emirati culture that balances authenticity and technical feasibility within the game’s scope. Oversee all visual aspects of the game, including environment design, character art, animation direction, lighting, and UI aesthetics.
• Team Building & Mentorship: Build a small, distributed team from the ground up; serve as a mentor to local Emirati artists and other team members.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the Game Design Director, Narrative Lead, and other team members to align art direction with gameplay and storytelling goals.
• Hands-on Art Production: Work directly in Unreal Engine to prototype, iterate, and optimize assets, ensuring a balance between visual fidelity and performance.
• Asset Oversight: Manage the creation of art assets, ensuring consistency, quality, and alignment with the game’s unique look and feel.
• Pipeline & Budget Management: Develop and optimize art workflows and Unreal Engine pipelines to balance artistic ambition and ensure high-quality visuals while staying within budget and production constraints.
• Cultural Integration: Translate authentic elements of Emirati culture into visually compelling assets, art styles, and environments. Collaborate with other Emirati artists and cultural experts to ensure the game’s visual design reflects the heritage, traditions, and aesthetics of the UAE.
• Iterative Development: Engage in continuous review, feedback, and refinement of art assets through playtesting and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
  

We’re looking for someone who has …

• 8+ years in art direction or as a lead artist, with a proven track record in IP development and small team leadership.
• A strong portfolio showcasing unique, stylized, or culturally inspired art direction, ideally with experience in indie games.
• Strong knowledge of Unreal Engine, with hands-on experience developing stylized, visually striking games with modern art production pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine, shaders, lighting, procedural tools, and asset optimization
• Proven ability to build, manage, and mentor small creative teams, particularly in a distributed development setting.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively alongside narrative leads, cultural partners, and cross-functional teams with different cultural backgrounds
• Willingness to reside in or work from the UAE during key phases of development and travel as needed.

It’s a bonus if you …

• Experience working on culturally inspired games or projects to translate authentic aspects of culture and traditions into visual storytelling
• A passion for bridging traditional cultural narratives with modern interactive media.

• Background in environmental storytelling and world-building.

Top Reasons to Work with Us

• Being part of an enthusiastic, diverse team that wants to make games with a positive impact.
• Co-create an authentic game experience in collaboration with our project partners.
• A positive, healthy remote work environment with flexible hours.
• We provide competitive salaries with full medical benefits and matching 401 (k), as well as paid paternity/maternity leave, vacation, holidays, and sick/wellness days.

E-Line Media values diverse perspectives and voices on our teams. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.