Senior Lighting Artist - Sledgehammer Games

Sledgehammer Games; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 130,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health plan

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Sledgehammer Games is seeking a Senior Lighting Artist for our Toronto, Canada studio. You will lead lighting efforts across gameplay and cinematics, collaborating with art leads and global teams to shape mood, visual storytelling, and performance.

You will mentor junior artists, refine pipelines, and push engine capabilities to deliver immersive experiences. The role requires 8+ years in gaming lighting, strong Maya/Photoshop skills, and experience with Unreal or Unity.

Qualifications

• Extensive lighting experience in gaming (8+ years).
• Proficient in Maya and Photoshop.
• Strong knowledge of physically based lighting and color grading.
• Experience leading and inspiring teams.
• Familiar with Unreal or Unity engines.
• Knowledge of ray tracing and path tracing.

Responsibilities

• Create gameplay and in-game cinematic lighting as directed by Art Director.
• Ensure lighting assets meet runtime and disk budgeting requirements.
• Identify and report potential production issues to leadership.
• Collaborate with Character, VFX, and Environment Art teams.
• Develop an optimal lighting pipeline and mentor other Lighting artists.
• Stay current with industry lighting techniques and toolsets.

Skills

Lighting artistry

Mentoring teams

Lighting theory

Color grading

Collaboration across art teams

Tools

Maya

Photoshop

Unreal

Unity

Houdini

Ray tracing

Job description

Job Title

Senior Lighting Artist - Sledgehammer Games

Your Platform

Sledgehammer Games is a leading developer in the video game industry, best known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise. Since our inception in 2009, the studio has delivered iconic titles including Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: WWII (2017), and, most recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. As industry leaders in first-person shooter development, our commitment to excellence is reflected in every detail of our games, from highly polished multiplayer experiences to emotionally engaging single-player campaigns. At Sledgehammer Games, we believe in pushing boundaries, redefining the possibilities of interactive storytelling, and setting new standards for visual and gameplay fidelity. Together, we aim to deliver world-class gaming content that continues to set the bar for quality, innovation, and player engagement.

We are excited to invite a talented and passionate developer to join our growing team as an Senior Lighting Artist based in our Toronto, CA studio. In this role, you will work collaboratively with our talented teams across the globe, including our locations in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. If you're ready to be part of a dynamic and collaborative environment where your skills can make a real impact, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us.

Sledgehammer Games is part of the Activision family and is wholly owned by Microsoft. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.sledgehammergames.com or search for Sledgehammer Games on your favorite social media platform.

Hybrid Position

This is not a remote role. This is a hybrid position based in our Toronto Studio, offering flexibility with a combination of in-studio and remote workdays. Permanent remote work is not available for this position.

Your Mission

Are you a video games enthusiast who enjoys first-person-shooters and has a passion for digital lighting, art, and photo realistic quality? The lighting team are the gatekeepers of mood, visual storytelling, and are one of the primary drivers of player emotion. We work closely with our art and creative directors to evoke player emotion and drive what's most important to us: Gameplay. In this role, you will be an integral, and critical member of our small but agile team. As our newest teammate, you will work side by side with our Lighting Leads. Together, you will help execute some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in video games. You and our team will be accomplishing this by having routine 1:1s, weekly team meetings, you will have an in-depth training period, and open dialog / high communication with adjacent teams.

• Responsible for creating game-play and in-game cinematic lighting based on direction from the Art Director
• Ensure that lighting assets meet runtime and disk budgeting requirements.
• Anticipate, identify, and report any potential production problems and communicate those to the Lead
• Work collaboratively with other departments: Character, VFX, and especially Environment Art
• Work independently and with other leads and directors to create an optimal lighting pipeline for the product
• Stay current with industry lighting techniques
• Work with Rendering engineers to push our engine further
• Creation of the sky dome and cloud assets
• Find creative ways to set industry standards
• Create workflows and best practices for the lighting team
• Mentor other Lighting artists, and help build an environment of creativity, trust and excellence

Minimum Requirements

• Extensive experience in a Lighting role in the gaming industry (+8 years)
• Excellent working knowledge of Maya and Photoshop or equivalent
• In-depth knowledge of physically based lighting
• Strong understanding of advanced lighting fundamentals
• Strong sense of lighting theory; color space, exposure, light fixtures, natural light, reflections etc.
• Proven track-record of leading and inspiring teams
• Understanding of composition and the ability to enhance mood with lighting
• Effectively use color grading and post effects to enhance the final image
• Working knowledge of industry standard rendering concepts and processes
• Experienced with Unreal, Unity, or other proprietary engines
• Experience with PBR & HDR lighting
• Familiarity with ray tracing/path tracing systems
• Ability to use AI as a development tool

Extra Points

• Experience with one or more scripting/programming languages
• Experience with Houdini
• Knowledge of photography principles and image correction techniques
• Experience playing Call of Duty or similar FPS games

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We're driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Guitar Hero. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our "press start" is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences. We're not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we're forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization. We're in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater - this could be your opportunity to level up.

Ready to Activate Your Future?

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

• Extended health plan, including medical, dental, vision, lif
• ted games, and a variety of other benefit programs like supplemental life & critical illness, legal service, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.

The standard base pay range for this role is $130,140.00 - $171,960.00 CAD. These values reflect the expected annualized base pay range of new hires in Ontario, Canada. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance, and location. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for discretionary incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed.