Lead Game Artist

SEGA; Royal Leamington Spa; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Join SEGA as a Lead Game Artist, where you will lead the art team for popular titles like Sonic Forces and Sonic Dash. This role emphasizes creativity in art production and teamwork to enhance player engagement. Enjoy a flexible working environment and numerous benefits in our Leamington Spa studio.

Benefits

Flexible benefits including healthcare and pension

Wellbeing support such as duvet days and health checks

Performance and profit-sharing bonuses

Free SEGA games and discounts on home tech

Gym memberships and ride-to-work schemes

12 days of training annually to enhance skills

Qualifications

• Strong skills in 2D and 3D art creation.
• Experience with game engines like Unity.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and motivate the art team to ensure high-quality output.
• Plan and prioritize art production in line with the game's roadmap.
• Create high-quality art assets for various game elements.

Skills

2D art creation

3D art creation

Communication

Collaboration

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Tools

Unity

3DS Max

Maya

Blender

Photoshop

Painter

Job description

Role Overview - Lead Game Artist - Sonic Mobile We are seeking a Lead Game Artist to join our Sonic Mobile team, responsible for developing Sonic Forces, Sonic Dash, and Sonic Boom — games with over a billion combined downloads! This role is ideal for a leader who understands the full project lifecycle and the importance of nurturing a live service game. You should be excited about how small improvements can significantly boost player engagement, retention, and community feedback. You care about efficient pipelines and continuous improvement to support the game's ambitions. Since most art updates focus on characters and UI, this role suits someone who enjoys working across various aspects of game art. Responsibilities

1. Inspire and motivate the art team, promoting high-quality work and effective teamwork.
2. Plan and prioritize art production to meet the game's roadmap milestones, adapting to live environment shifts.
3. Create high-quality art assets for the games.
4. Maintain visual consistency while pushing quality further.
5. Collaborate with engineering to troubleshoot and resolve art-related technical challenges.
6. Work with IP holders to approve official artwork.
7. Manage the art team through 1-1s and support career development.
8. Identify and implement pipeline improvements for efficiency and quality.
9. Keep documentation for art processes and standards up to date.
10. Coordinate with stakeholders to deliver art improvements considering implementation and resource needs.
11. Lead by example, embodying values of determination, compassion, and collaboration.

Essential Skills & Experience

1. Strong 2D and 3D art creation skills.
2. Experience with Unity or similar game engines, including implementation and optimization.
3. Proficiency with tools like 3DS Max, Maya, Blender, Photoshop, Painter.
4. Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
5. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Desirable Experience

1. Good eye for graphic design and animation quality.
2. Experience with video editing tools like Premiere and After Effects.
3. Player-focused approach — understanding what makes a game fun.
4. Interest in Sonic, SEGA, and stylized art styles.

Why work at HARDlight?

1. Flexible benefits including ULEV car salary sacrifice, healthcare, pension, and more.
2. Wellbeing support such as duvet days, volunteer days, health checks, and flu jabs.
3. Up to 26 work-from-home days per year.
4. Performance and profit-sharing bonuses.
5. Free SEGA games and discounts on home tech.
6. Gym memberships and ride-to-work schemes.
7. Core hours with flexible start/end times.
8. 12 days of training annually to enhance skills.

This role is based on-site at our Leamington Spa studio, UK, with hybrid working options (Monday and Friday remote).