Senior Character Artist

2K; Burnaby; On-site; CAD 78,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

2K Sports Lab in Burnaby seeks a Senior Professional Character Artist to lead authentic character creation for a new project. You will collaborate with the Art Director to craft high-fidelity characters and believable grooming for real-time rendering.

The role requires 5+ years in games/film, shipping at least one AAA title, and proficiency with Maya, Unreal Engine, XGen and Ornatrix. You will work across departments to deliver industry-leading characters for our upcoming IP.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in games/film/animation.
• Experience shipping at least 1 AAA title.
• Proficient with XGen and Ornatrix for grooming.
• Strong knowledge of Maya, Unreal Engine, Substance Painter/Designer, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer and Photoshop.
• Experience with 3D scanned assets.
• Good understanding of human anatomy and clothing construction.
• Knowledge of blendshapes and facial animation.
• Self-starter, able to take feedback and work independently.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with art leads to set visual targets for character assets.
• Work with animators, artists, and tech artists to ensure asset compatibility and player experience.
• Build high-quality digital sculpts, textures, and groom hair.
• Work in Unreal Engine 5 and align with current character pipelines.
• Assemble character assets for use in the game engine.
• Create industry-leading grooms with XGen/Ornatrix and optimize hair cards for real-time rendering.

Skills

Character artistry

AAA title

Unreal Engine

Facial animation

Anatomy knowledge

Tools

XGen

Ornatrix

Maya

ZBrush

Substance Painter

Substance Designer

Marvelous Designer

Photoshop

Unreal Engine

Job description

Who We Are

Founded in 2023, Small Axe Studios is 2K's newest stand‑alone studio, built to push the boundaries of game development and bring 2K's next groundbreaking sports franchise to life. Headquartered in Burnaby, we are assembling a world‑class team of visionaries, builders, and passionate gamers who thrive on creative collaboration, technical excellence, and bold ideas. At Small Axe Studios, we believe big things start with sharp focus, and we're crafting an exceptional, player‑first experience from the ground up. If you're ready to tackle unique challenges, leave your mark on a brand‑new IP, and help shape the future of interactive sports entertainment, we want you on our team!

What We Need

As a Senior Professional Character Artist at 2K Sports Lab, you will have a key role collaborating closely with our Art Director and Lead Character Artist to help bring our visions to life and forge authentic and believable characters that the players can enjoy for many years to come. You enjoy being responsible for crafting the highest quality, industry leading, characters that will make an everlasting impact for the game.

What You'll Do

• Collaborate with leadership to establish visual targets and push boundaries on quality of character assets.
• Work closely with other departments (animators, artists, and technical artists) to ensure art assets are working well and build an excellent player experience.
• Build high quality digital sculpts, textures and groom hair.
• Work in Unreal Engine 5, while actively following development of character creation and pipelines in the industry while balancing performance.
• Assemble character assets to be used in the game engine.
• Create Industry‑Leading Grooms: Procedurally groom realistic hair using industry‑standard tools (XGen, Ornatrix), as well as author highly optimized hair cards for real‑time rendering.

What Will Make You a Great Fit

• 5+ years of experience in the games, film, or animation industry.
• Previous experience shipping at least 1 AAA title.
• Ability to build believable groom hair using dedicated tools (XGen, Ornatrix).
• Knowledge of Maya, Unreal Engine, Substance Painter/Designer, PBR Workflow, zBrush, Marvelous Designer and Photoshop.
• Experience working with 3d scanned assets.
• Aesthetic ability to improve details with minimal concept and art direction.
• Have a proven understanding of human anatomy and clothing construction.
• Have a good understanding working with blendshapes and facial animation.
• Self‑starter and independent, able to take feedback and run with it.
• Follow and collaborate with concept artists.
• Strong communication skills.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

• The pay range for this position in British Columbia at the start of employment is expected to be between $78,400 and $116,020 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.
• Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for employees in regular roles may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, provided that temporary or intern roles will not be eligible for many of these payments or benefits. Details of participation in compensation and benefit plans (if applicable) will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
• Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.