Character Artist

Piranha Games, Inc.; Canada; Remote; CAD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Piranha Games, Inc. is seeking a talented Character Artist to join our team in Canada. You will model, texture, and light high-quality game characters, focusing on anatomy, silhouette, and stylized realism for AAA console/PC titles.

Under the guidance of the Art Director, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams, optimize pipelines, and mentor junior artists while delivering portfolio-ready work for both in-game and cinematic contexts.

Qualifications

• 4–7+ years’ experience on AAA console/PC titles as a Character Artist
• 2 shipped games as a Character Artist
• Post-secondary education in Computer Graphics, Fine Arts, Game Art & Design or equivalent
• Strong ability to create stylized realism and portfolio-ready work
• Excellent understanding of human and animal anatomy and form
• Strong knowledge of character modeling, texturing, and lighting for games
• Experience with 3D packages (3ds Max, Maya) and Photoshop
• Experience with Unreal Engine 5, shader systems, grooming/hair cards, and both clothing and hard-surface workflows
• Knowledge of UV mapping, texture painting, and articulation for in-game characters

Responsibilities

• Implement the overall artistic vision for characters based on concepts and descriptions
• Collaborate with the Art Director and Lead Character Artist to optimize character production pipeline
• Design, model, and texture high-quality 3D characters with accurate anatomy and silhouette
• Ensure character models convey personality through morphology, expressions, and pose
• Coordinate with concept artists, animators, and VFX to meet visual targets
• Participate in technical and aesthetic problem-solving to improve tools and workflows
• Mentor junior artists and share knowledge with teammates
• Stay current with industry trends and integrate best practices into the project

Skills

Character anatomy

Stylized realism

Character modeling

Texturing

UV mapping

Collaboration with art team

Education

Post-secondary education in Computer Graphics / Fine Arts / Game Art & Design

Tools

3ds Max

Maya

Photoshop

Unreal Engine 5

Job description

Founded in 2000, Piranha Games is an action gaming studio with unparalleled experience developing licensed products for big-name franchises, including AAA licensed titles such as; Need for Speed: Undercover and Duke Nukem Forever. Best known for the Free-to-Play game title MechWarrior Online, PGI is as committed as ever to creating world-class action-based games, having most recently released MechWarrior 5: Clans. Piranha Games is part of the Enad Global 7 group. For more information, please visit www.piranhagames.com

Piranha Games is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees. Formal education is not always required. All team members are hand-picked because they are skilled in their individual fields, immensely creative and hard workers. We hire avid gamers and mold them to the standards we believe make amazing products.

Should you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail]

OVERALL OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE:

Under the guidance of the Art Director and Lead Character Artist, model characters with a special focus on anatomy, ensuring they and supporting characters meet the same standards in terms of quality and style. Must be able to create stylized realism and to be displayed in your portfolio.

WHY YOU SHOULD WORK WITH PGI

• People-focused Events & Initiatives
• Competitive Compensation

RESPONSIBLITIES:

• Implement the overall artistic vision of characters based on designs, concepts and descriptions
• Work withtheArt Director and Lead Character Artist to combine ideas and methodologies of character production to create an efficient, streamlined pipeline, understanding the technicallimitations of the engine
• Design, model, and texture high quality 3D characters, paying close attention to anatomical proportions, scale, and skeletal templates
• Ensure that the character models can convey a sense of personality in the game (morphology, silhouette, facial expressions, etc.)
• Collaborate closely with concept artists, animators, game designers, and VFX artists to ensure the visual target is met or exceeded
• Assist with the integration of a character development process that works in congruence with the creative direction, meets the technical constraints of the game, as well as production deadlines
• Actively participate in technical and aesthetic problem-solving discussions with the team
• Display exceptional integrity and understanding of the work; constantly seeking ways to improve the efficiency of the workflow and provide documented feedback to improve in-house tools
• Stay up to date on best practices and industry trends, work to integrate them into the project and share knowledge with inter-project colleagues
• Mentor and train junior artists
• Other ad-hoc responsibilities as requested

REQUIREMENTS:

• 4-7+ years’ experience working on AAA console and/or PC titles with at least 2 shipped games as a Character Artist
• Post-secondary education in Computer Graphics, Fine Arts, Game Art & Design or equivalent education, and/or experience
• Must be able to create stylized realism and to be displayed in your portfolio
• Possess an exceptional understanding of human and animal anatomy with a keen eye towards form, structure, silhouette and organic movement
• Solid knowledge of character modeling, texturing, and lighting as related to game development
• Comprehensive knowledge of a major 3D package (3ds Max, Maya, etc.), Photoshop,
• Demonstrated experience in the design and development of fantasy characters and creatures.
• A detail obsessed eye for creating and manipulating texture maps and excellent understanding of the value of UV space
• Be able to create characters with finished, rough, or no concept art that fits within the style
• Expertise in incorporating characters in Unreal Engine 5
• Expert experience using of advanced material shader systems for characters
• Experience with groom(strands) and hair cards, to support in-game and cinematics characters
• Equally proficiency in clothing and hard surface modeling
• Knowledge of animation typology (rigging, skinning, etc.)

We are open to candidates at Intermediate to Senior levels depending on experience. Intermediate: 4+ years, Senior: 7+ years of experience. Compensation will be based on experience and skill level.