Lead Artist Generalist

Side; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A global video game company in Kuala Lumpur is seeking a Lead Artist to define and uphold the visual direction across 2D and 3D projects. This role will lead a multidisciplinary art team, establish best practices, and work on both Unity and Unreal Engine projects. Candidates should have over 5 years of game art experience, proficiency with industry-standard tools, and strong leadership skills. Contract position with potential for conversion to full-time.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional game art experience, including leadership.
• Proficient in 2D and 3D art production.
• Excellent English communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define visual direction for varied projects.
• Lead and mentor a cross-disciplinary art team.
• Oversee asset production in Unity and Unreal Engine.
• Collaborate with design and production teams for visual targets.

Skills

Artistic excellence

Leadership

Communication skills

Visual storytelling

Performance optimization

Tools

Maya

Blender

Substance Painter

Photoshop

Unity

Unreal Engine

Job description

Side (formerly PTW) is a global video game development and services provider, offering technical and creative solutions to many of the largest developers and studios around the world. Founded in 2009 and drawing on 30+ years' experience from our parent company in Japan, Side has since grown to become a global force with 20 studios in 14 countries across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Our industry‑leading services include game development, art production, audio production, quality assurance, localization, localization QA, player support, community management, and datasets.

Help us bring stories to the world! Join a global team of passionate gamers and contribute to delivering unforgettable game experiences.

Experience our side of life. For more information, visit www.side.inc.

Lead Artist (Generalist)

You’ll define and uphold the visual direction for a wide range of projects from stylized 2D to AAA‑quality 3D games. You’ll lead a multidisciplinary art team, establish best practices, and ensure every asset meets a high creative and technical standard across Unity, Unreal, and proprietary engine pipelines. You’ll start by leading an internal 2D project in Unity and help build scalable art workflows, visual standards, and production art that will power future art outsourcing and co‑development partnerships with global clients.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the overall visual direction, style, and quality across 2D and 3D projects.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a cross‑disciplinary art team (concept, character, environment, props, lighting, FX, and UI).
• Create high‑quality benchmark assets that demonstrate both artistic and technical excellence.
• Oversee asset production from concept to in‑engine implementation in both Unity and Unreal Engine.
• Collaborate closely with design, engineering, and production to ensure visual targets align with gameplay, performance, and delivery schedules.
• Review internal and outsourced work, providing clear, actionable feedback to maintain consistency and quality.
• Support project planning by accurately scoping art deliverables, identifying risks, and advising on staffing and pipeline needs.
• Help establish scalable art standards and documentation to support future art and codev projects and partner integrations.
• Attend internal and external meetings, sometimes outside of normal business hours, as necessary to support business goals.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional game art experience (2D and 3D), with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• Proven ability to deliver AAA or high‑quality stylized content across multiple genres and platforms.
• Hands‑on proficiency with Unity and Unreal Engine pipelines.
• Expert knowledge of tools such as Maya, Blender, Substance Painter/Designer, Photoshop, Spine 2d and related software.
• Strong understanding of composition, color, lighting, materials, and visual storytelling.
• Solid grasp of performance optimization, PBR workflows, and real‑time rendering.
• Experience managing, mentoring, and reviewing both internal and outsourced teams.
• Excellent communication skills, especially in English, and comfort working in a globally distributed environment.
• Note: Specific requirements may vary depending on project needs.

This role is contract to start with potential to convert to full time with comprehensive benefits.