VFX Artist - RuneScape: Dragonwilds

Jagex; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading gaming company in Cambridge is looking for a skilled VFX Artist to create engaging visual effects for fantasy games. The successful candidate will have 2–4+ years of experience in the industry, strong skills in Unreal Engine, and a passion for visual storytelling. This fixed-term contract role includes remote work options within the UK, requiring occasional onsite attendance in Cambridge.

Qualifications

• 2–4+ years of experience as a VFX Artist in the games industry.
• Strong artistic fundamentals: colour theory, motion, timing, composition, shape language.
• Ability to take direction, give feedback, and work independently.

Responsibilities

• Create fantasy style visual effects including explosions and environment effects.
• Develop and evolve the VFX style in collaboration with the team.
• Implement real time gameplay and cinematic VFX.

Skills

VFX artistry

Unreal Engine

Shader creation

Blueprints implementation

Visual storytelling

Job description

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

This role is a Fixed Term Contract anticipated to end mid-late 2027.

What you’ll be doing:

• Create fantasy style visual effects including explosions, magic, weather, environment effects, UI effects, and character abilities.
• Develop and evolve the VFX style so that it fits the world and makes the game as attractive and exciting as possible. Collaborate closely with the wider team to ensure clarity, readability, and gameplay feedback through VFX.
• Work with the Art Director, TA Lead and VFX team to ensure effects match the style, tone, and technical constraints of the project.
• Implement real time gameplay and cinematic VFX, with an optimized from the start approach.
• Collaborate with Animators and Technical Artists to ensure smooth blending between animations, VFX timing, and character actions.
• Collaborate with Environment Artists to maximize mood, appeal and sense of life and movement in all environments in the game.
• Work with a high regard to implementation and performance costs and an active approach to profiling.
• Work within and establish a clean VFX pipeline. Along the way, contributing creative ideas to improve the visual effects pipeline and overall presentation.
• Troubleshoot and fix issues related to VFX behaviour, rendering, lighting, or integration.
• Maintain clear documentation of VFX workflows, naming conventions, and implementation guidelines.
• Provide feedback and occasional mentoring to junior VFX artists.

What we’re looking for:

• 2–4+ years of experience as a VFX Artist in the games industry, in an Unreal-Engine real-time environment.
• Strong artistic fundamentals: colour theory, motion, timing, composition, shape language, and visual storytelling.
• Ability to take direction, give constructive feedback, and work independently when needed.
• Experience creating shaders and materials for VFX.
• Experience implementing VFX using blueprints.
• A curated reel showcasing:
  • Gameplay effects (e.g., combat, abilities, impacts).
  • Environmental or atmospheric effects (fog, rain, fire, smoke, leaves, dust).
  • Use of shaders / materials created for VFX.
  • Examples of in-engine implementation.
• Breakdown notes explaining your role, tools used, and any procedural workflows.