Graduate Environment Artist

targetjobs UK; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A game development studio in Cambridge seeks a Graduate Environment Artist to create high-quality environments for their games. The ideal candidate has strong 3D modelling skills, knowledge of landscape design, and an Art degree. You will work collaboratively within a creative team to bring immersive worlds to life. This role supports both full in-studio and hybrid work arrangements.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Success-based annual bonus

Private family healthcare

Flexitime working hours

In-house subsidised catering

Qualifications

• Good team player, willing to work collaboratively.
• Ability to work within an established art style.
• Strong understanding of the game landscape creation pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Create and modify in-game environment assets to final quality.
• Populate landscapes with contextual scenery assets.
• Collaborate with the art team to complete work to high quality.

Skills

Team player

Knowledge in sculpting and painting landscapes

3D modelling skills

Substance Designer/Painter and Photoshop skills

Understanding of proportion, scale, perspective, lighting, and color

Education

Art degree or relevant game art course

Tools

Maya

zBrush

Job description

Frontier is an independent video game developer and publisher, crafting immersive gaming experiences with fun gameplay and unparalleled artistic quality. Renowned for its iconic creative management simulation games, Frontier captivates players worldwide with immersive and authentic game worlds. The modern studio is located in the vibrant technology hub of Cambridge (UK). The talented team at Frontier are dedicated to nurturing our existing portfolio and delivering our exciting future roadmap.

This role is offered on a full in-studio basis or a hybrid basis (typically 3 days per week in the studio). We can provide a comprehensive relocation support package as part of any offer, should you need to relocate.

We welcome applications from all, however please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

What's the Role?

As a Graduate Environment Artist, you will work on high-quality environments for our exciting portfolio of games. You will play an integral part in building exciting and immersive worlds, using your visual, spatial, and design skills, and your eye for composition, perspective, scale, and detail to bring an environment to life. You will also combine your understanding of visual style and how it relates to the natural world, to take loose sketches to an inspiring location in-game.

This is a learning-focused role where you will contribute to production while building your skills, receiving consistent feedback, and growing your understanding of how great art supports gameplay and immersion.

What You'll Be Doing

• Creating and modifying in-game environment assets within a given timeframe to final quality.
• Populating in-game landscapes with required contextual scenery assets, occasionally generating the required assets to spec.
• Collaborating with the art team both internally and externally, acting positively on Art Direction and feedback, to complete the work to a high quality and required art style.
• Interpreting 2D concept art, design requirements, and visual references into high-quality 3D landscapes that capture the spirit of the concept as well as the technical dimensions.
• Understanding and accommodating the context of the landscape - how it needs to be set-up, and its gameplay potential.

What You'll Bring

• A good team player, willing to work collaboratively and receive feedback and guidance from the rest of the team.
• Ability to work within an established art style.
• Knowledge and experience in sculpting and painting landscapes in engine, ideally simulating terrain features in Gaea.
• Good 3D modelling skills, preferably in Maya and zBrush.
• Strong Substance Designer/Painter and Photoshop texturing skills, targeting physically based rendering.
• Familiarity with the entire game landscape creation pipeline: height field generation, texture masks creation, layered material setup, setting up, and exporting to game.
• Great understanding of proportion, scale, perspective, lighting, and colour.
• A keen eye for spinning narrative and life into an environment.
• An Art degree or relevant game art course.

Bonus If You Have

• An adaptable attitude to working across a breadth of art styles, from high-detail realism to more cartoon stylisation.
• Experience with PBR pipeline and real-time engines.
• Understanding of best working practices in terms of pipeline flow and game optimisation.

Please ensure that you have included your portfolio in your submission, otherwise, we will not be able to consider your application.

What We Can Offer You

You will work with talented and passionate people to support, develop, or publish our sophisticated and enduring games, in a creative, collaborative, and inclusive environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our players.

Wellbeing is a big focus at Frontier, and we are continually evolving how we can support our people. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and provide a range of wellbeing activities, initiatives, and sessions to support both mental and physical health.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success-based annual bonus, share option schemes, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, in-house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme, free bike servicing, and social activities and events.

We strive to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their capability and potential. If you therefore need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition representative.